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In-person options increase for students

The brightening prognosis for both the health and fiscal outlook of the COVID-19 crisis has provided the City School District of 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ the welcome opportunity to expand in-person instruction for students.

The district’s middle schools and 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High School are in the process of bringing nearly 1,100 students in grades 7-12 back to campus during the third quarter, while continuing to follow and monitor health and safety guidance from the federal and state levels. 

The district also is working toward expanded in-person opportunities for all general education students in grades 7-12 during the fourth quarter, which begins April 26.

As of March 19, a total of 1,767 students and families in grades 7-12 had responded to a district survey indicating that they would choose a hybrid instructional model for the fourth quarter. This will include in-person instruction one or more days a week.

Students switching to the hybrid model will receive fourth-quarter schedules during the week of April 16. Students and families also can expect to receive much more information about the fourth quarter in the coming weeks.

Another 1,082 students and families responding to the district survey indicated they would prefer to remain in a distance learning model. The district will continue to offer that option as well.

“We are so excited to have the opportunity to welcome more of our students in grades 7-12 back to school in-person during the third and fourth marking periods,” said Superintendent Kaweeda G. Adams. “However, we are mindful that we remain in the midst of a global health crisis, and that we must continue to be vigilant about all health and safety guidelines as we move forward.”

Planning for the 2021-22 school year also is in motion. The district’s primary goal is to offer in-person instruction for every student and family that request it. Students and families will be able to review and provide feedback on those plans later this spring.

Managing a difficult school year

Last summer, the district had planned hybrid instructional models for middle school and high school students in response to the major health and safety concerns of returning to school amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

However, the state announced in late August that it would withhold 20% of its funding for schools unless the federal government provided financial relief. 

With no federal relief in sight last fall, the district made the difficult but fiscally responsible decision in September to reduce its 2020-21 budget, eliminating about $15 million and 215.6 positions and shifting all general education students in grades 7-12 to distance learning. 

The district was able to maintain an in-person option for all students in prekindergarten through grade 6, as well as self-contained special education students 7-12.

At the secondary level, the district began implementing Phase 2 of its instructional rollout in November, offering limited in-person opportunities for 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High students. Those opportunities focused on career and technical education programs, music and art, and staff-supported learning labs. 

The dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases in December (an average of 2.9 new cases per day in the district) and January (4.4 new cases per day) limited the district’s ability to expand in-person opportunities.

However, COVID-19 rates have declined steadily since early February, a period that also has coincided with the growing availability of COVID-19 vaccines.

Fiscal relief on the way

Financially, the changing administration in Washington, D.C., in January under President Biden also led to significant aid for states and schools. In New York, that allowed the state to assure school districts that last summer’s warnings of potential 20% withholdings would not come to pass. 

The financial prognosis for next school year in terms of both state and federal funding also is hopeful. 

The state Senate and Assembly both have proposed an increase of approximately $1.4 billion in aid to schools for 2021-22 (the state’s budget is due April 1). U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer also recently announced that 91¸£Àûµ¼º½’s schools will receive an additional $44.2 million in federal aid over the next two years. 

These needed and welcome federal funds will help address academic gaps for students that developed during the COVID-19 crisis, and support investments in technology and other infrastructure needs that the pandemic has highlighted. 

“We all have learned so much over the past year,” Adams said. “We have shouldered the impact of COVID-19. We have worked through the challenges and been resilient, flexible and innovative in our strategies to adapt and persevere to meet the needs of our students, families, faculty and staff.”

Marking one year in a global health crisis

During times of triumph, it is easy to be focused on the vision and mission of an organization. However, what speaks to the character of who we are is what we do during challenging times.

This week marked one year since COVID-19 enveloped the Capital Region and significantly changed the face of education for our students and families.

The worldwide pandemic has affected everyone throughout society over these 12 difficult months – some in the most unimaginable ways due to the loss of life, social-emotional challenges, health care disparities and economic turns that COVID-19 has and continues to cause. 

We all have learned so much over the past year. 

We know that our students, families, faculty and staff have faced so many challenges during this global health crisis. 

We have shouldered the impact of COVID-19. We have worked through the challenges and been resilient, flexible and innovative in our strategies to adapt and persevere to meet the needs of our students, families, faculty and staff. 

From the first day of our school building closure last March, we were able to provide meals to our families to address the acute food insecurity that many experienced almost immediately. We were able to add meal delivery, and continued to expand that service throughout the spring. 

We provided more than 353,000 meals to our families from March-June last year through the courageous efforts of our staff as well as volunteers. We have continued those efforts in the current school year, and we are grateful to all who have made this critically important effort possible. 

We have worked tirelessly to deploy technology to continue educating all of our students, and to provide professional development for our teachers and support staff in delivering instruction through Google Classroom. 

By early April last year we had distributed nearly 4,000 Chromebooks to students, prioritizing a device-per-household model to stretch our limited resources as far as we could at that time – and at a time when the state still was measuring the closure of school buildings in two-week increments.

Today, we have 11,000 Chromebooks throughout the district and have achieved a 1:1 computing model. We are grateful as well to all of the community partners who also supported the technology needs of our students and families.

We know there are some students who have benefitted from distance learning. We also know there are a significant number who have not. 

We place a high value on all of the benefits of going to school in-person, both instructionally and from a social-emotional perspective. Yet, we also know that we will need to maintain the balance of instructional delivery modalities that technology now provides in a distance learning platform.

We are so excited to have the opportunity to welcome more of our students back to school in-person during the current marking period, and very much looking forward to a continued expansion of in-person opportunities during the fourth quarter.

This will include expanded extracurricular opportunities and activities to address the growth and development of the whole child. 

Our planning committees started their work this month to look ahead to the 2021-22 school year. We will do that work with the goal of offering in-person instruction for every student whose family wants to choose that option next school year. 

However, we are mindful that we remain in the midst of a global health crisis, and that we must continue to be vigilant about all health and safety guidelines as we move forward. As we have throughout the past year, we will continue to follow all guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and our state and county health departments. 

None of this has been easy, and it has not been perfect. 

I am grateful to our Board of Education, and all of our faculty and staff, for doing their best throughout this crisis to meet the needs of our students. I also am grateful to every district family, and all of our community partners, for remaining “All in for 91¸£Àûµ¼º½!” throughout this very challenging year.

Yours in education,

Kaweeda G. Adams
Superintendent

Q: If you had a chance to meet with President Joseph Biden, what issue or issues would you suggest that he focus on as he begins his first term?

New equity, academic and community web content

The City School District of 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ has added a completely overhauled academics section, as well as an Equity in Education page and Community dropdown menu to albanyschools.org to better organize web resources and serve all of our partners in these important areas.

The new academic section provides a clear overview for families of what students will learn at each grade level, along with a look at all the unique programming available at 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High School. 
The Equity in Education section includes links to the Board of Education’s foundational Equity in Education Policy, as well as to a video series highlighting the perspectives of our students, faculty and staff, and a variety of additional resources. 

The Community dropdown section of our main navigational menu includes links to information about employment opportunities in the district, our Workforce Development initiative, the district Hall of Fame, Parent University, community resources and much more.

Important special education reminders

Parents and guardians have the right to request a referral and evaluation of a child for the purposes of special education services or programs. 

If you believe your child has a disability that requires special education or special accommodations, contact your child’s building principal. You also can call Assistant Director of Special Education Catie Magil at (518) 475-6150 to discuss whether your child should be referred to the committee or the “504 Team” for a full evaluation.   

For more information, please visit albanyschools.org/specialed to download a copy of Special Education in New York State for Children Ages 3-21: A Parent’s Guide.

If your child attends a non-public school in 91¸£Àûµ¼º½, you may request an evaluation to determine eligibility and need for special education by writing to the Committee on Special Education, 75 Watervliet Ave., 91¸£Àûµ¼º½, NY 12206.

For a student found eligible before April 1, a parent or guardian may request services to begin within 30 days of the determination. 

If you plan to enroll your child in a non-public school in 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ in 2021-22, you must provide a written request for services to the Committee on Special Education by June 1. We urge you to provide your request as early as possible so the district’s Committee on Special Education can develop an Individual Education Service Plan (IESP) for your student. 

Please note that there is an April 1 deadline for requesting transportation if your child will attend a non-public school in 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ (see related story below).

If your child will attend a non-public school outside 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ in 2021-22 and you want services, you need to request the services in writing from the public school district where the school is located, also by June 1. 

The district does not provide services to non-public-school students found eligible for accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  

Please contact Magil or the Special Education Department at (518) 475-6150 if you have questions.

Non-public school transportation deadline

State law requires 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ parents and guardians whose children will attend a non-public school in 2021-22 to submit a written request for transportation to the City School District of 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ by April 1.

The purpose of this deadline is to enable districts to budget funds and make necessary arrangements to provide reasonable and economical transportation. This applies to students who will attend private, parochial and charter schools. 

Please note that eligible students attending middle school and high school will be transported via CDTA buses.

For non-public school students who move into the city after the April 1 deadline, parents and guardians must submit a written request for transportation within 30 days after establishing residency. 

In order to qualify for transportation, students must meet the requirements under the district’s Transportation Policy. Visit albanyschools.org/transportation for that policy. 

Requests should be mailed to:

Inho Suh
Director of Transportation
City School District of 91¸£Àûµ¼º½
75 Watervliet Avenue
91¸£Àûµ¼º½, NY 12206

For more information, contact the Transportation Department at (518) 475-6170.

Rewarding good deeds

City School District of 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ students continue to Do the Right Thing, and the efforts of several were rewarded March 3 with Samsung tablets.

“Do the Right Thing” is a collaboration that began last fall between the school district, the City of 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ and the 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ Police Department. Middle- and high-school students are nominated each month for their accomplishments, positive behavior and good deeds. 

Each month a committee determines the top students, who receive tablets and other prizes.

Edmund J. O’Neal Middle School of Excellence student E’maj Holland Hook, pictured with this story, was one of seven student winners of “Do the Right Thing,” and School Resource Officer Chris English hand-delivered the seventh-grader’s prize – a Samsung tablet – to his home on March 3.  

To check out the Do the Right Thing honorees from previous months, and learn more about how to nominate a worthy middle- or high-school student, visit: albanyschools.org/dtrt

District teacher makes Top Teacher list

LaQuita Love – businesswoman, hairstylist and Cosmetology teacher at 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High School’s Abrookin Career and Technical Center – has been named one of the Top 13 Teachers of 2021 by WNYT/Ch. 13.

Love (pictured with her students in a photo from 2019) attended 91¸£Àûµ¼º½’s public schools and graduated from 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High School in 1994. She earned a cosmetology license in 1997 and in the next six years opened Safari New York Hair Studio and Hair Candy Beauty Supply.

She started teaching in the Cosmetology program at Abrookin in 2006. She completed her teaching certification at The College of Saint Rose while working full-time, and also earned a bachelor’s degree at SUNY Empire State College.

Love has been the recipient of both teaching and beauty awards during her career. 

In 2020 and 2015, she earned the prestigious Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching from the City School District of 91¸£Àûµ¼º½. She received a 2018 Ujima Journey Kazi (work) Award and a 2012 Woman of Distinction Award from the Black Women’s Association. 

Biden inaugural features alum’s music

91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High School had a place in the Jan. 20 inauguration ceremony for President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. 

The ceremony included a composition by 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High graduate Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork, Class of 1959. The U.S. Marine Band performed Hailstork’s “Fanfare on Amazing Grace” as the second selection in the inauguration ceremony. 

It is just the second time that a work by a contemporary African-American composer has been performed as part of a presidential inauguration. 

An internationally acclaimed composer, Hailstork is an eminent scholar and professor emeritus of music at Old Dominion University. He is a 2010 inductee into the City School District of 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ Hall of Fame.

Student Help Desk supports technology assistance 

Four tech-savvy 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High School seniors have made this year’s shift to distance learning a little easier on students and faculty alike.

Sarah Bearden (pictured in a photo from Dec. 2020), Hailey Krasnikov, Onovu Otitigbe-Dangerfield and Myles Rosenzweig make up this year’s 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High Student Help Desk, a resource that supplements the school’s efforts to provide technology assistance.   

The students guide classmates through resetting passwords, emailing teachers, finding and submitting Google Classroom assignments and more. They know what fellow students need because they surveyed them about the biggest challenges to distance learning.

The team also assists teachers who are learning to operate new equipment and navigate new programs.

And teachers love it.

“Myles walked us through how to navigate the HoverCam and taught us how to take screenshots, record and do other tricks that will be game-changers once we are back to in-person teaching,” said special education teacher Kristin Davey. 

Interested in being on the Student Help Desk? Apply through March 26. To learn more, visit:

Former Falcon added to New York State Basketball Hall of Fame

On Aug. 1, Nathaniel (Brian) Hines will become the 23rd former City School District of 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ basketball player or coach inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Hines, a teaching assistant at Eagle Point Elementary School, has worked for the district for 25 years. He played basketball at 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High School as a sophomore and junior (1983-85) and was nicknamed ‘Dunkin’ Hines’ because of his aerial prowess.

During his time at 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High, the Falcons won Big Ten and Section 2 titles. After graduating high school, Hines played at Westchester Community College and St. Augustine’s University.

Hines is the founder of the Dunkin’ Hines Basketball Classic, an annual tournament he started in 2005 for student-athletes 91¸£Àûµ¼º½.
 

Alumni achievement: Crickett Thomas-O’Dell ’76

Crickett Thomas-O’Dell is a member of the second class to graduate from the then “new” 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High School in 1976. She would have been in the third class but graduated a year early, thanks to a City School District of 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ program that allowed her to enroll in higher-level courses beginning in fourth grade.

“I credit the faculty and administration for taking a keen and supportive interest in my education and providing me with the foundation to be successful,” Thomas-O’Dell said.

A three-sport student-athlete, Thomas-O’Dell thanks her 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High physical education teachers for helping with college applications and pointing her toward Russell Sage College in Troy, then an all-women’s college. 

The experience at Russell Sage taught her the importance of being an active and positive participant in all situations, and to not think twice about entering the male-dominated telecommunications industry upon college graduation.

Thomas-O’Dell’s first job was with AT&T Information Systems. After 10 years she returned to Russell Sage for a career change and a job in the admissions office. 

She then moved on to the University at 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ and several non-profits before landing her current position as regional director of the Workforce Development Institute of the Capital Region. She works with area businesses, organizations and educational institutions, including 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High, that have a positive impact on the workforce.

“I am truly grateful to be actually ‘giving back’ in a meaningful way to the academic entity that helped to mold me and make me into the person I am today,” she said.

In December, the institute donated 100 Chromebooks to seniors at 91¸£Àûµ¼º½ High’s Abrookin Career and Technical Center, pathways Thomas-O’Dell believes in personally and professionally. Living and working in the place where she grew up has a great deal to do with who Thomas-O’Dell is. She sees nurturing and supporting that same community as opening doors for others.

“There are so many good people going above and beyond in giving of themselves – their talent and their time and energy – to provide opportunities for our students to grow in very important ways,” she said.

“To be a part of that process in some small way is very rewarding and humbling.”