A Biddeford Intermediate School classroom was closed Monday after an individual tested positive for coronavirus. Contact tracing is underway, school officials say. Courtesy Photo/Biddeford Internediate School
BIDDEFORD — One classroom has been closed at Biddeford Intermediate School after a member of the school community tested positive for COVID-19, Superintendent Jeremy Ray told students’ families in a letter Monday evening, Sept. 21.
As of late Monday, the school’s health staff and administration was working with the Maine Center for Disease Control to mitigate the effect of the positive case on the school community and undertake a contract tracing plan.
The classroom closure is part of the Maine CDC School Investigation Standard Operating procedure, Ray said.
He said any students who came in close contact with the individual who tested positive must quarantine for up to 14 days from the known exposure. Ray said a case manager with the Maine CDC would contact families to specify the exact duration and terms of the quarantine.
The affected spaces are closed and being sanitized.
Ray emphasized the importance of self-screening. Students and staff must complete a form each day before making their way to the school building. The form asks about exposure to the virus and whether they are showing specific symptoms.
Ray said the individual who tested positive completed the screening and did not enter school buildings on Friday, Sept. 18 or Monday, Sept. 21.
“Thanks to honest and transparent responses to the screener, we are optimistic that the impact on our community has been lessened,” he wrote in the letter.
Ray also cautioned families about social media, which he said is rife with misinformation and conjecture about the “who” and “how many” and the “where” in this case.
“I beseech the community to not traffic in speculation,” he said. Ray noted that education and health privacy laws prevent the school district from sharing detailed information with the public at-large – and more.
“We should provide our neighbors the respect of confidentiality,” Ray concluded.
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