Spring Semester Information

January 11, 2021

We are actively monitoring developments related to COVID-19, including recent events involving rising cases throughout the Capital Region, and specifically, Albany County.

For the upcoming Spring 2021 semester the Law School's Public Health and Safety Team has set the following guidelines:

• Start Date – Classes will resume with the hybrid format on January 25. If there is a change to this date or offerings it will be announced immediately.
   

• Testing Requirement – If you intend to come to campus for the start of the spring semester, you must provide proof of a negative COVID test taken on or after January 11. If proof of a negative test is not provided,you will not be granted access to campus buildings.
   

• Providing Negative Test Results – Test results from the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) test site are automatically uploaded to ShareMyHealth (the Law School's daily health assessment tool). Test results from other sites may be uploaded to ShareMyHealth File
  ShareMyHealth - Upload Lab Result Walkthrough.pdf or forwarded to hr@albanylaw.edu.
   

• Testing Availability – Tests are available at ACPHS. Appointment times are limited and only available to current Albany Law School students, faculty, and staff. If you wish to get a test through ACPHS, use your albanylaw.edu email address for scheduling and bring your Albany Law School ID card with you to the appointment.
  • You can also have a test completed through your healthcare provider or at a testing site.
  • Within New York State, anyone can get a free test: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you
  • Some private companies, such as Rite Aid and CVS Pharmacy, are offering COVID-19 tests at certain locations: www.riteaid.com/pharmacy/services/covid-19-testing; www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing
     

• Travel – The Law School is following many of New York State's guidelines for post-travel quarantine and testing and requiring students who have traveled outside of New York State for more than 24 hours to follow one of two options to use campus buildings:
  • Option 1: After traveling, quarantine in New York for 10 days, obtain a COVID test in New York, and then provide proof of a negative COVID test.
  • Option 2: Obtain a negative COVID test within three days of departure from another state, travel, quarantine in New York for three days, obtain another COVID test on the fourth day of quarantine or thereafter, and then provide proof of a negative COVID test.
     

• Surveillance Testing and Contact Tracing – COVID-19 surveillance testing of the Albany Law School community will continue during the spring semester. Weekly selections for surveillance testing are made on a random basis based on the prior week's on-campus activity.
  • Surveillance testing is important because it helps us determine if the COVID-19 virus is in our community and helps us trace, track and stop any additional community spread. If you are selected for testing, you will receive an e-mail requesting that you make an appointment during a specified period.
  • If you are not tested within the requested period, your proximity card access will be revoked and you will not have access to campus buildings until you are tested.
  • Please continue to use your proximity cards and access panels around campus buildings to help with contact tracing.
     

• Visitors – Albany Law School will continue to enforce its no visitor policy. We will revisit the policy to assess options for allowing visitors, including tours by prospective students, when safety conditions permit.
   

Thank you for your continued vigilance in helping us control the spread of COVID-19 on our campus and in our community.
 

- Public Health and Safety Team