Superintendent's Community Update

Dear Albany Community,

We are moving quickly to the end of the school year amidst a greatly improved pandemic outlook. Conditions are so much better now that the CDC released new guidelines last Thursday suggesting that fully vaccinated people can forgo wearing a facemask in many situations. I am thrilled to see our progress—this was unimaginable in dark days earlier this year. However, and I must state this strongly, the State of California and Alameda County have not yet relaxed facemask guidelines. Anyone on our school campuses, adult or child, must be masked, and I thank everyone in advance for adhering to this requirement. The state has announced that California will be announcing new standards on June 15, 2021, and we can all look forward to new, more lenient restrictions in the near future, after the school year has ended. You can see the joint statement by the Bay Area Health Officials at this link.

Local Pop-Up Vaccination Clinic

Albany Unified School District, in partnership with Safeway Pharmacy, is hosting a COVID-19 pop-up vaccination clinic for those 12 years and older! The clinic will be on Friday, May 28 from 10:00 am–3:00 pm at the Albany High School Gymnasium. Appointments are highly recommended, and you can book a slot at this link. Walk-in appointments will be available, space permitting.

Also note that vaccinations are easily available at many locations now. Walk-in vaccinations are available at the Buchanan Street parking lot of Golden Gate Fields (more information is available at MyTurn.CA.gov), and both the CVS Pharmacy and Safeway on Solano Avenue are taking appointments for vaccination. We have updated the District’s COVID-19 Info webpage with some of these local resources. Many other locations also have availability. Please sign up to get vaccinated if you are eligible! It is the single most important thing you can do to keep yourself, your family, and our school community safe.

Stay hopeful and encouraged,

Dr. Frank Wells
Superintendent of Schools
Albany Unified School District