The following notice regarding a positive COVID-19 case was sent to area parents and posted online this week by the Community School District school principals:

Dear Families, Students and Staff,

This letter is to inform you that an individual associated with the Boothbay Region High School recently tested positive for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID -19). To the best of our knowledge, this person was not on school premises when the virus was contracted nor during the contagious period, therefore did not have direct exposure to other members of our school community. We are informing you as there are many rumors swirling around our community and it’s important to have correct information to decrease the already high anxiety around this virus.

This is not an outbreak. If you are not contacted, you do not need to stay home or exclude yourself from school activities. The Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor CSD School Nurse, Kate Schwehm, is actively working to monitor the screening tool, parent phone calls, and symptoms of our students and staff. If your child has been exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19, please report this to the school. This information will be kept confidential. These are stressful times and the Boothbay Region School community has done a wonderful job establishing and following safety guidelines and protocols (masking, physical distancing, hand washing, sanitizing, etc.) and working together to do all we can to keep everyone as safe as possible.

Parents should continue to monitor their child’s health and the health of their families for COVID-19 symptoms. It is important that parents continue to complete the RUVNA Health Screening tool for each child daily. Children with COVID-19 generally have mild, cold-like symptoms, such as fever, runny nose and cough. Vomiting and diarrhea have also been reported in some children. Contact your child's healthcare provider regarding any concerns. These are hard times and have tested our strength and resilience, but we are a community that rallies around each other in challenging times. We will continue to keep you updated and informed. We thank you for your continued support,

Tricia Campbell, Principal BRHS and Shawna Kurr, Principal BRES