Positive test for COVID-19 recorded at Winslow High School

The first positive case of COVID-19 has been recorded at Winslow High School. Morning Sentinel file

A positive tests for COVID-19 has been recorded for a person associated with Winslow High School, the first case linked to the district, according to the schools superintendent.

In a letter to the Winslow schools community Sunday evening, Superintendent Peter Thiboutot said that after the Winslow school nursing staff contacted the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention and the infected person, the CDC recommended to advise those with direct contact with the infected person to quarantine until Monday, Nov. 9.

All direct contacts were made aware Sunday the person who tested positive has not been in school since Monday, Oct. 26, Thiboutot wrote.

Thiboutot did not specify whether the person who tested positive was a student or staff member.

“We are notifying the community in an effort to eliminate any misinformation and to take the opportunity to reinforce the importance of wearing masks and face coverings, washing hands, and maintaining social distancing,” Thiboutot wrote. “The safety of our students and staff is our top priority.”

Winslow schools are operating in a hybrid model, where students are split into two cohorts, last names A-La and last names Le-Z, that alternate in-person learning days. There is a third cohort comprised of remote learning-only students. In late September, the district announced its plans to continue in this model indefinitely for the approximately 1,100 students attending its schools.

Winslow schools are open this week for students and staff who are not expected to quarantine. Only people contacted by the nursing staff must quarantine until Monday, Nov. 9, Thiboutot said.

Winslow’s elementary, middle and high schools are all located on Danielson Street in Winslow. To create extra space for students, the sixth grade is located in the old Winslow Junior High School building for this year only.

There is a new Winslow Junior High School, with a wing attached to the high school for seventh- and eighth-graders. The sixth grade will move into its new wing attached to the elementary school next year.

“This is a challenging time in our state and nation,” Thiboutot wrote. “Please continue to take the necessary precautions against the coronavirus in order to reduce the spread of the disease.”