READFIELD — An individual at Readfield Elementary School has been tested for a probable positive case of COVID-19, according to school officials.

Superintendent Jay Charette wrote a letter to the community Monday night, with news of the possible case.

According to Charette, the individual has not been at school since Dec. 18, and that Regional School Unit 38 is currently in the process of tracing people that may have been within close contact of the person with the probable positive.

As a result, Readfield Elementary School went to remote learning Tuesday, the final day before winter break. All other RSU 38 schools had classes as scheduled Tuesday.

This is the first COVID-19 case — positive or probable positive — Readfield Elementary School has reported this academic year. The last reported COVID-19 case in RSU 38 was at Manchester Elementary School.

Heading into the holiday break, which starts on Wednesday for schools across the state, Regional School Unit 2 has asked families to closely consider gatherings in which they choose to participate for the upcoming holiday.

Superintendent Tonya Arnold made the request in a letter posted Friday about positive COVID-19 cases that RSU 2 has seen. She said none of the cases have required contact tracing because the individuals were not at school during their contagious period.

Arnold did not reveal how many cases or what schools the cases came from, just that there have been a “number” of individuals.

“Because those individuals followed quarantine practices and stayed home when the symptoms presented,” she wrote, “they helped keep our schools open so that healthy students and staff could continue with in person learning.”

Arnold gave tips to the RSU 2 community on how to stay safe and healthy during the upcoming holiday, urging family members to participate in low contact activities like online shopping, takeout and dropping surprises off at doorsteps.

She also told families to consider having virtual gatherings instead of in-person gatherings.

“If a visit to certain loved ones must occur, please consider scheduling the visit for Dec. 23 or 24, so that the 10 day quarantine period following the gathering ends on Jan. 3, should you learn that someone you were with had COVID-19,” Arnold wrote.

School is slated to start back up through a hybrid schedule, on Jan. 4.

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