Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98 Superintendent Robert Kahler said Dec. 23, the move to remote learning for Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District during the week of Dec. 20 came from a “perfect storm” scenario. While the Boothbay Region schools each had a number of COVID-19 cases and subsequent, required quarantines, the Dec. 17 Tik-Tok threats, calls out the week before vacation and an unrelated shortage of bus drivers also played into the decision.

With absent rates approaching 50% and additional contact tracing, Kahler said he felt it was prudent to provide consistent education for most students while taking steps to prevent further spread of the virus. CSD staff have been working hard, often beyond the work day and into weekends, to contact trace and inform families, he said.

“The cooperation between the community and the schools is what has allowed us to be open for in-person learning as long as we have been. Our plan is to reopen for in-person learning after break. Should that plan change, the community would be notified as has happened throughout this time.”

Kahler said the CSD plans on starting pooled testing after winter break and the process will help limit how many students and staff will need to quarantine if found to be a close contact to someone testing positive for COVID-19. Further changes are expected from Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention in January. Kahler said he will share that information when it is available.

“The decision to switch to remote learning was the confluence of a number of factors, not because of ‘a lot’ of additional cases of COVID-19. It's fair to say we have a handful of cases at each school in the CSD and, to this point, it has been determined to be from community spread, not spread within the school. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and keep the public as informed as possible while still protecting the privacy of our students and staff.”