HOULTON, Maine — Regional School Unit 29, which includes Houlton High School, announced on Friday, Nov. 20, that school would be canceled next week for Monday and Tuesday classes — which were the only two days classes were scheduled for next week before the Thanksgiving break.
The move comes after a person associated with the school tested positive for COVID-19.
SAD 70 in Hodgdon and the Region Two School of Technology also closed their schools Monday and Tuesday, giving students the entire week off.
In a letter sent out to staff, parents and students, RSU 29 announced it was closing until the end of the break. It also said it had been directed by the Maine CDC to notify all students and adults who had come in contact with the person who had tested positive for the virus.
RSU 29 Superintendent Ellen Halliday confirmed that the closure applied to all classes, including those conducted remotely.
“In an abundance of caution, we are closing,” she said. “We are starting our Thanksgiving break two days early to allow for a thorough cleaning of our buildings.”
In the letter, the school also said that any potential extension of the closure will first be notified via School Messenger/Reach. Further notifications would be made on the district’s Facebook page and official website.
The announcement comes as several other COVID-19 cases in Aroostook County have led to other closures, such as the Putnam House senior center in Houlton and the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
