GARDINER — A teacher at Gardiner Area Middle School tested positive for COVID-19, according to school officials.

The district was told through a letter written by Superintendent Patricia Hopkins on Nov. 20.

Hopkins said that “numerous staff members and Cohort B students in the grade 8 Allagash team” are quarantining.

As result of the positive case, members in the 8th grade Allagash Cohort B will operate in the “red” model of learning until Dec. 4. In the red model, students will learn completely online.

This is the second time that Gardiner has gone to “red” protocols for coronavirus cases. And, during the Nov. 5 Gardiner school board meeting, parents urged Maine Administrative School District 11 to stay in the red and do all classes remotely in light of the spike in Maine’s coronavirus cases.

“Students have done a remarkable job following the CDC guidelines requiring the waring of masks, frequently washing hands and social distancing,” Hopkins wrote. “The school remains a safe place for students and staff.”

She said students should be monitoring their symptoms, even if they weren’t considered a close contact of the positive case.

REGIONAL SCHOOL UNIT 2

Regional School Unit 2 announced Tuesday that Dresden and Hall-Dale elementary schools are undergoing contact tracing.

RSU 2 Superintendent Tonya Arnold said that in both schools there are only a few “close contacts,” per the Center for Disease Control’s definition and those individuals were notified.

The rest of Dresden and Hall-Dale elementary students are able to continue the hybrid-learning structure.

Dresden Elementary last reported a positive COVID-19 case Oct. 28.

Arnold wrote on the RSU 2 website that six of the seven RSU 2 schools have seen positive coronavirus cases since the start of the academic year, and that the district has been “relatively lucky.”

In that same announcement, she wrote that Richmond Middle and High School saw a positive COVID-19 case last week, and on Friday, Monmouth Memorial School reported a positive COVID-19 case.

“Please do all you can during Thanksgiving week (and beyond) to help stop the spread of the virus,” Arnold wrote. “Mask wearing, physical distance, wellness activities and getting a flu shot are more important than ever.”