PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Presque Isle Middle School students were dismissed at 1 p.m. Thursday due to a positive case of COVID-19 in the school.
Students from other SAD 1 schools will leave at their regularly scheduled times, according to superintendent Ben Greenlaw. Health services staff members are currently contacting people who are close contacts of the person who tested positive.
The announcement came just days after Presque Isle High School students left classes early due to someone associated with the school testing positive. Students and staff members not considered close contacts returned to in-person classes Wednesday.
Schools throughout central Aroostook County have struggled to keep in-person classes going amidst rising case numbers in the region, and more people testing positive as a result of community spread.
While Fort Fairfield students returned to in-person learning this week, SAD 42 in Mars Hill went remote after at least 13 confirmed cases. SAD 45 in Washburn has opted for a hybrid plan for at least two weeks due to rising case numbers in the region.
The Maine Department of Education could determine the immediate future of how students learn if they designate Aroostook County “yellow” during their update of school color codes on Friday. Under a “yellow” designation, all schools would have to adopt a hybrid learning plan, which typically means students attend in-person classes on select days and learn from home the others.
Greenlaw said in a letter to parents that he will provide an update on Presque Isle Middle School later Thursday.
