Watervliet, Cohoes, Green Island schools to close next week

ALBANY COUNTY, N.Y. » Watervliet, Cohoes, and Green Island schools will be closed from March 16-20 out of an abundance of caution with the coronavirus pandemic.

Capital Region BOCES CTE and Special Education programs will also not be operating March 16-20.

As of Saturday morning, there are no confirmed cases in any of the school districts or areas

s of Friday, there have been four reported positive coronavirus cases in Albany County. Three cases the individuals are from the town of Guilderland and one case the individuals is from the city of Albany.

“This school closure is the most proactive and careful action we can take to help limit the spread of illness and to provide time to reassess the situation next week. The closure will also give our custodial and maintenance staff an opportunity to complete a deep cleaning of classrooms and common areas of our buildings, as well as disinfect school buses,” officials with the Watervliet City School District said in an online statement.

“Given the closure, there will be no school activities or athletic events in the district the week of March 16-20. This includes spring sports practices. As an additional note, Capital Region BOCES Career & Tech, Special Education, P-TECH, and Pathways programs will not be operating during this time,” Watervliet district officials stated.

Watervliet officials said breakfast and lunch will still be available from March 17-20 for students.

Students in Watervliet will be able to pick up a breakfast/ lunch bag from 8-10 a.m. Tuesday through Friday at the following locations while the schools are closed.

• Watervliet Elementary School, 2557 10th Avenue

• Watervliet Civic Center, 14th Street & 1st Avenue

Students from Watervliet may stop by either location to pick up meals. No forms or registration are required. The Food is Fuel program will be available for families who normally receive it. Students may pick up their food supply bags on Friday at the elementary school between 8-10 a.m.

“This situation is very fluid and could change

as we continue to work with our local departments of health and New York State Department of Health,” Cohoes Superintendent Jennifer Spring said in an online statement.

“We are working with our food service department on a plan to make “grab and go” meals available during the closure. More information will be sent in the coming days,” Spring added.

“Because there are practical limits to trying to continue the instructional program in an online format, that will not be our goal.

Our focus will be on sharing a variety of resources for parent-guided and selfguided learning for students. We plan to begin sharing these resources during the early part of next week. Families should look for more information around that time,” Spring stated.

“Given that this is a rapidly evolving public health issue, we feel that this is the most proactive and prudent action available to us. This is designed to help limit the spread of illness and to provide time to reassess the situation next week,” Green Island Union Free School District Superintendent Kimberly Ross said in an online statement.