An employee within Skowhegan-based Maine School Administrative District 54 has tested positive for COVID-19, and the first positive case has been recorded in Bingham-based MSAD 13.
In a memo sent to families Monday, MSAD 54 Superintendent Jon Moody said the district was notified of the positive case. The person who tested positive was a part-time substitute teacher that spent time at Canaan Elementary School and Skowhegan Area Middle School last week. The employee had been in contact with students and staff members, all of whom have been identified and asked to quarantine.
As with every other case of COVID-19 that the district has seen, the case is a result of contact that occurred outside of school. All individuals considered to be close contacts were contacted Monday, and there has been no recommendation that the school close or take additional actions.
“MSAD 54 will continue to communicate with Maine CDC and our community health partners today and through this week, should anything change,” Moody said in the letter.
To date, the district has had three positive cases of COVID-19 and one probable positive case. The positives have been a student at Skowhegan Area High School, a teacher at Mill Stream Elementary School and a staff person within the district. The probable positive case was a student at Canaan Elementary School.
MSAD 54 serves the communities of Canaan, Cornville, Mercer, Norridgewock, Smithfield and Skowhegan.
First positive case of COVID-19 at MSAD 13
A student at Upper Kennebec Valley Jr./Sr. High School has tested positive for COVID-19.
The MSDA 13 school sent students home on Tuesday morning around 8:30 a.m. after being informed of the positive case.
Sandra MacArthur, superintendent in Maine School Administrative District 13. University of Maine at Farmington photo
“We will complete contact tracing during the next few days,” Superintendent Sandra J. MacArthur said in a Facebook post. “We will provide remote learning during this time and update you as soon as we have more information.”
At this time, Moscow Elementary School remains open. This is the first positive case of COVID-19 within the district, MacArthur said.
MacArthur said in a phone call on Tuesday that there are approximately 90 students at the school and 180 districtwide. Students who are working remotely are equipped with technology and will resume remote learning on Nov. 12 and continue with it until Nov. 30. Because of the upcoming holiday, students were not scheduled to be in school from Nov. 23 to the 27.
The district comprises students from Bingham, Moscow, Athens and unorganized territories.
MacArthur said that on Tuesday afternoon, the district was working with nurse consultants and waiting to hear from Maine Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and had already taken action by contacting all students and staff that have had direct contact with the student that tested positive.
“At this time our highest priority is the health and safety of our students and staff,” MacArthur said. “We will continue to monitor the situation and continue to take the necessary steps to keep everyone safe.”
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