A handful of central Maine school districts reported positive cases of the coronavirus over the weekend, including districts based in Newport, Oakland, Skowhegan, Waterville and Unity.
MAINE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICT 54
MSAD 54 Superintendent Jon Moody wrote in a letter to the community Sunday that a Canaan Elementary School student tested positive. Five staff members and 10 students were required to quarantine due to exposure.
Skowhegan-based MSAD 54 also reported a case at Skowhegan Area High School on Friday in which a student tested positive. One staff member and a “small group of students” were required to quarantine.
MSAD 54, which enrolls students from Canaan, Cornville, Mercer, Norridgewock, Skowhegan and Smithfield, has now seen 27 cases in the district.
REGIONAL SCHOOL UNIT 3
Unity-based RSU 3 reported a positive coronavirus case in an individual associated with Morse Memorial Elementary School in Brooks. RSU 3 Superintendent Charles Brown informed the community in a letter Friday. Any close contacts thought to be exposed were notified by the time the letter came out, Brown wrote.
On Monday, Brown informed the community of a case associated with Mount View Elementary and Middle Schools. RSU 3, which serves the towns of Brooks, Freedom, Jackson, Knox, Liberty, Monroe, Montville, Thorndike, Troy, Unity and Waldo, has recorded 11 cases.
REGIONAL SCHOOL UNIT 18
RSU 18 Superintendent Carl Gartley wrote in an update Sunday that the district had “a couple of cases last week associated with our schools.” Gartley wrote that he reported two lists of close contacts for the cases and did not receive any notifications from the Maine CDC regarding any additional positive tests from close contacts.
“This data supports the CDC’s statements that schools remain safe for our staff and students,” Gartley wrote. “Understandably there is still anxiety for some people about coming to school, but whether you are listening to scientific data or just looking at the anecdotal evidence from our schools, what we are doing is working. I hope everyone feels safe every morning when you come to school.”
Oakland-based RSU 18 serves approximately 2,500 students from the towns of Belgrade, China, Oakland, Sidney and Rome across its eight schools. The district has now seen 15 COVID-19 cases.
REGIONAL SCHOOL UNIT 19
On Monday, RSU 19 Superintendent Michael Hammer announced a positive COVID-19 case with an individual associated with RSU 19 schools, except for the Etna-Dixmont School. RSU 19 serves students from the towns of Newport, Corinna, Dixmont, Etna, Hartland, Palmyra, Plymouth and St. Albans across five schools, Nokomis Regional High School, Nokomis Regional Middle School and Sebasticook Valley Elementary School in Newport; Somerset Elementary School in Hartland and Etna-Dixmont School in Etna.
WATERVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Waterville Senior High School Principal Brian Laramee wrote to the community Friday afternoon about a coronavirus case with an individual associated with Waterville High School. Three close contacts to the person are quarantining until Sunday. The case did not impact the school’s hybrid model. Waterville Public Schools has had seven cases.
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