An individual associated with South Portland High School has tested positive for COVID-19, the school department says.

It is possible that staff members or students came into contact with the infected individual and may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, Superintendent Ken Kunin wrote in a letter Friday to staff, students and families.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention or a school representative will directly contact those determined to be close contacts with the infected individual, Kunin said. Close contacts will be asked to quarantine for 14 days.

“We are informing you out of an abundance of caution,” Kunin wrote in the letter. “Please monitor yourself/your student for signs and symptoms. Call a health care provider if symptoms start. It is important that you call a healthcare facility before you show up in person. Stay home if you are sick.”

Kunin did not respond to an email Sunday asking how many staff and students had been identified as close contacts with the individual, how many would have to quarantine and whether the high school would be closed or school operations affected because of the positive test.

In an online message Sunday, South Portland High School Principal Michele LaForge said hand washing, wearing masks and physical distancing were serving the school community well. If students have to quarantine, they should practice remote learning as they would on their off-day, she said.

“Superintendent Kunin’s message from Friday was a first for us all this year, and I know how hard it is, each time we go through something new together,” LaForge said.