PARIS — Students from two Oxford Hills schools have had to quarantine after exposure to or diagnosis of COVID-19 in late October.
On Oct. 21 Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School hosted Fryeburg Academy for varsity and junior varsity field hockey games. Administrators later learned that one of the players from Fryeburg’s varsity team had tested positive for COVID-19. No OHCHS J.V. players or coaches were considered to have been exposed to the virus. Game referees were notified of possible exposure.
SAD 17 athletes and their families were called and received written instructions for proper quarantine procedures by Oct. 23.
Even though the varsity team is unable to play, after consulting with the athletic director for Edward Little High School about steps taken and protocols in place, OHCHS’s J.V. team was able to compete in a weekend game against the Auburn J.V. team.
Then, on Oct. 30 Superintendent Rick Colpitts sent out a notification to families of all Oxford Hills students alerting them that a student at Otisfield Elementary and a student at OHCHS were diagnosed with the virus.
Those two students have been dismissed from school while they recover, and any students and staff who have had contact with them have been advised to quarantine.
Colpitts informed the SAD 17 Board of Directors at their Monday night meeting that contact tracing revealed that one student was infected when attending a community dinner and the other during a community hockey practice, meaning there has been no known transmission on school grounds.
In an email statement to the Advertiser Democrat Colpitts said that in both cases the number of students at the schools entering quarantine was small because of robust planning and adherence to pod isolation procedures.
“Both schools remain open and serve students,” Colpitts wrote. “Those quarantined are able to continue learning through remote instruction.”
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
