Dexter Regional High School goes to week of remote learning, Ridge View stays on current schedule after positive COVID-19 cases

DEXTER — Dexter Regional High School students will be going to remote learning through Monday, Dec. 7, after a person associated with the school tested positive for COVID-19, SAD 46/AOS 94 Superintendent Kevin Jordan said in a letter to the community. Jordan also said a person associated with the Ridge View Community School has tested positive, but at the present time the K-8 school will continue to operate on the current schedule.

In the Nov. 29 letter posted on the district website, Jordan wrote school officials were notified the day before and have been conducting extensive contact tracing as the positive test affects the quarantine requirements in both schools. He said SAD 46 officials have taken steps with the district response team to follow Maine CDC and DOE guidelines to notify staff and students as appropriate.

“We believe it best to share what we can with our entire community,” Jordan wrote. He said the person who tested positive at the high school was last in attendance on Nov. 24, and 19 students and one staff member have gone into quarantine.  Students and staff required to quarantine have been contacted directly by SAD 46 nursing personnel.

All high school students began remote learning on Monday, Nov. 29. “Out of an abundance of caution, Dexter Regional High School will be closed to in-person learning until Monday, Dec. 7,” Jordan wrote.

He said the person who tested positive at Ridge View was last in attendance on Nov. 24 and seven students and two staff members  are now in quarantine. Students and staff required to quarantine have been contacted directly by SAD 46 nursing personnel. Students and staff required to quarantine have been contacted directly by SAD 46 nursing personnel.

“At this time, the Ridge View Community School will continue to operate school on the current schedule,” Jordan wrote. 

Kindergarten to grade five students attend classes five days a week. Class sizes have been reduced from years past and the number of classes has been expanded to allow social distancing protocols to be in place. Grades six through eight students receive a hybrid method of instruction by attending two days of in-person classes via their cohorts and the other three featuring remote learning.

Earlier in the month, Ridge View went to four days of remote learning after a positive case of COVID-19 was diagnosed at the start of the week. The week before, Jordan announced that a person associated with the Tri-County Technical Center on the high school campus tested positive. Five students and one staff member then went into quarantine but the building remained open for in-person learning.

The letter from Jordan included basic information about the illness, and reiterated the advice from the CDC about social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands with soap and water and using hand sanitizer. Signs and symptoms include fever/chills, new loss of taste/smell, cough, congestion/runny nose, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, nausea/vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea, muscle/body aches, sore throat and headache.

Members of the SAD 46 community and beyond are asked to keep in mind that many things can cause respiratory illness, so students and staff should be up-to-date on influenza and routine vaccinations.

The letter says general questions regarding COVID-19 can be answered by calling 1-866-811-5695, texting your zip code to 898-211, emailing info@211maine.org or by calling one’s primary care provider. Information is at maine.gov and cdc.gov. 

Questions for the school can be directed to his office at 207-924-6000 option 2 or the three district school nurses: Angie Bunker for the high school and Tri-County Technical Center at 207-924-5536; and Crystal Greaves for Ridge View at 207-924-6000.