AUSD is committed to ensuring a safe school environment for our students and staff. Unfortunately, in the wake of school violence that has occurred with more frequency across our country, it is necessary that we routinely review and update our school and district safety plans. Last week, Superintendent Williams met with representatives from the Albany Police and Fire Departments to coordinate our efforts to align our safety plans with APD and AFD, as they are the first responders in an emergency. In addition, with the recent fires across California and thousands of people needing to be evacuated and sheltered, we felt it was prudent to meet with members of the City’s disaster preparedness team to discuss how Albany schools may be used as shelters in a similar disaster scenario. We are aiming for a meeting with the City of Albany’s disaster preparedness team and the American Red Cross in September.