Ridge View switching to remote learning rest of the week after positive COVID-19 case
DEXTER — Students in kindergarten through eighth grade at the Ridge View Community School will be going to remote learning for the rest of the week after a positive case of COVID-19 was diagnosed on Monday, the superintendent said in a pair of letters to the community.
SAD 46/AOS 94 Superintendent Kevin Jordan said in the first letter that a person associated with the Ridge View Community School tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. The person who tested positive was last at the school on Thursday. Six Ridge View students and 14 staff members then went into quarantine. Those in quarantine will be contacted directly by Maine CDC contact tracers and school personnel.
“We believe it best to share what we can with our entire community,” Jordan wrote.
In the second letter, Jordan said there are no additional cases of COVID-19 or quarantine requirements in SAD 46. Jordan said district officials have taken steps with the response team to follow Maine CDC and DOE guidelines to notify staff and students as appropriate.
Ridge View will be closed to students starting Tuesday for the district to do a thorough cleaning. Remote learning will continue for sixth- through eighth-grade students, who were advised to check their email for directions from their teachers. Parents of pre-K through grade five students will be contacted with information regarding learning that will begin again on Monday, Nov 16, when a reopening for all students is planned.
School lunch will be delivered by bus to all Ridge View Students between 10:30 a.m and noon on Thursday.
Dexter Regional High School and Tri-County Technical Center will be open the same schedule that has been in place since the start of the school year. Last week Jordan announced that a person associated with the technical center tested positive. Five students and one staff member then went into quarantine.
The letters 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 TCTC and the high school at 207-924-5536; and Crystal Greaves for Ridge View at 207-924-6000.