SKOWHEGAN— An employee within Maine School Administrative District 54 has tested positive for COVID-19.

Jon Moody, superintendent of Maine School Administrative District 54, addresses the board in August. On Wednesday Moody said an employee of the school district had tested positive for COVID-19. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel file

In a notice sent out on Wednesday, Superintendent Jon Moody said that a district employee tested positive. The individual has been at home and has had no contact with students this week. After working with Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention, administrators have asked that some students and staff quarantine as a result of the positive test. Any child being asked to quarantine will be contacted by school staff at some point Wednesday and by Maine CDC over the next day or so.

“With each case investigation, we are reminded of the importance of staying home when ill, washing your hands, masking and physical distancing in all interactions outside of the home,” Moody said in the letter. “These measures help our students remain in school and our teachers at work.”

In a separate email sent out to families later in the day, Moody said a student at Canaan Elementary School is being considered a probably positive case pending the results of a test.

“Maine CDC worked with us to identify those staff and students who were considered ‘close contact,'” Moody said in the second letter.

At this time, he added, there is no recommendation that the school close or take additional actions, and after consulting local health professionals, the decision was made to keep the school open.

“MSAD 54 will continue to communicate with the Maine CDC and will provide updates should anything about this situation change,” Moody said.

Earlier this month, the district sent students home to work remotely for two days after a student at Skowhegan Area High School tested positive for COVID-19. Two days later, a student at Mill Stream Elementary School tested positive. In both cases, it was determined that contact with the virus occurred outside of school.

Students in pre-K through sixth grade are learning in-person five days a week while grades seven through 12 are learning under a hybrid model split up by last names.

MSAD 54 serves the communities of Canaan, Cornville, Mercer, Norridgewock, Smithfield and Skowhegan.