PHIPPSBURG — A Phippsburg Elementary School staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 and was in school during the period of infection, according to school officials.
In a letter to the families on Tuesday, Regional School Unit One Superintendent Patrick Manuel said that any close contacts have been individually notified and will need to quarantine. He did not say how many close contacts were identified.
“Upon learning of the confirmed positive test, we implemented our response protocol,” he said. “We must follow privacy laws and protect the confidentiality interests of every student and staff member, while also ensuring that we are protecting the health and well-being of all members of our school community.”
RSU 1 serves Bath, Phippsburg, Arrowsic and Woolwich. This is the seventh positive or presumed positive case of COVID-19 in the district and appears to be the second at Phippsburg Elementary School.
On Dec. 16, Manuel notified families that a student at Phippsburg Elementary and a student at Bath Middle School, siblings, were presumed positive for the virus, but had not been in school during the period of infection or transmission.
Phippsburg Elementary School, which enrolls just 84 students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, moved to full-time in-person learning in late October. The school’s largest class has 17 students, which still allows for proper social distancing requirements, Assistant Superintendent Katie Joseph said at the time.
The school is currently on winter break. Students are expected to return Monday.
So far, there have been 22,909 cases of COVID-19 in Maine, with 590 reported on Tuesday, according to the Maine CDC. There have been 333 deaths. According to data most recently updated Dec. 13, there have been 10 positive and presumed positive cases in Phippsburg.
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