January 8, 2021
Dear Faculty, Staff, Students and Families,
This letter is to inform you that an individual associated with Sanford Middle School (SMS) recently tested positive for COVID-19. This individual at SMS was in school this past Monday, January 4th. School representatives have notified all known contacts of the individual at SMS. All close contacts are required to quarantine for 10 days from their last exposure to the positive individual. A negative test result does not get an individual out of quarantine. Due to the quarantine, Learning Community #3 (LC 3) will be going full remote for a short time. LC 3 Group B will return to in-person learning on Friday, January 15th. LC 3 Group A will return to in-person learning on Thursday, January 21st, due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. At this time, all other SMS students and Sanford School Department students will follow their normal in-person learning schedule on Monday, January 11th. Please be aware that we will continue to monitor the situation and this plan is subject to change due to staffing issues and/or additional circumstances.
We are informing everyone out of an abundance of caution. Please continue to monitor yourself/your student for signs and symptoms and call a health care provider if symptoms start. It is important that you call a health care facility before you show up in person. Stay home if you are sick. Continue to follow the safety precautions that are in place. Together our preventive steps can protect the health of our students, school personnel, and the Sanford community and allow in-person learning to continue safely.
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that ranges from mild to severe. The virus mainly spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes and an uninfected person breathes in the virus. Signs and symptoms include:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Questions for the school can be directed to your building administrator. For general COVID-19 questions, dial 211 (or 1-866-811-5695). You can also text your ZIP code to 898-211 or email info@211maine.org. Call a health care provider for questions about your symptoms. More information can be found at www.maine.gov/dhhs/coronavirus or www.cdc.gov/coronavirus .
Sincerely,
Matt Nelson, Superintendent of Schools