HOULTON, Maine — Two schools in RSU 29 are now considered to be in outbreak status due to the alarming number of COVID-19 positive students and staff members.
RSU 29 Superintendent Richard Lyons and Director of Health Service Holly Hodgkin informed the school board of the updated status during a presentation at Monday night’s meeting.
Both Houlton Middle and Elementary schools are now considered to be in outbreak status as of Feb. 3 with 35 active cases at HES and 18 at Houlton Middle School.
The Maine CDC opens an outbreak investigation when a school reports more than 15 percent of its population (students and staff) are absent in a single day, where the majority of those absent are due to COVID-19 illness. That 15 percent figure also includes all other illnesses.
Previously, the Maine CDC opened an investigation anytime three or more students or staff members had confirmed cases of COVID-19 within a 14-day period.
“As you can see we have had a very busy month in our health offices,” Hodgkin said. “It is due to the new (omicron) variant. It spreads much more easily. We knew it was coming and we were going to see a surge.”
The two Houlton schools are not the only ones in Aroostook County to be classified with an outbreak status. Included in that group are Fort Kent Community High School (46 cases), Hodgdon Mill Pond School (47 cases), Van Buren Elementary (15) and Van Buren District Secondary (7), Valley Rivers Middle School (29) and Woodland Consolidated (6).
Since the December break, cases have slowly been on the rise in RSU 29. In December, the district had a total of 47 confirmed cases. That number ballooned to 215 in January. HES saw an increase of 275 percent in positive cases, while Houlton Middle-High School was up 350 percent and Houlton Southside School had the largest increase at 571 percent.
“When you see that number it is staggering,” Lyons said.
“The symptoms are similar to the previous variant,” Hodgkin said. “We are seeing temperatures, sore throats. Kids are actually getting pretty sick and most are not recovering in five days, so we are giving them more time.”
For the 2021-22 school year, the district has had 396 positive cases, including students and staff. There are roughly 1,350 students in the district.
In an effort to cut down on the spread, Lyons said a greater effort would be made to convince parents to agree to pool testing for their children and to provide additional data on vaccinations for parents.
“I would like to see our pool testing and vaccination rates increased significantly,” Lyons said.
There was no discussion by the board or administration Monday evening about switching to a remote learning model.
Despite the alarming data presented at the board meeting, three parents spoke during the public participation portion of the meeting. All three individuals asked the board to reconsider its mandatory mask policy. One of those speaking removed his mask while addressing the board, while another was not wearing a mask.
One school board member also did not wear a mask throughout the meeting.
A large group of staff members also attended the meeting, with many wearing red articles of clothing as a sign of solidarity. The district is currently in contract negotiations with the teachers’ union.
The board also recognized the following long-time district employees who have announced their retirements: Debbie Melvin (38 years); Linda Goodall (46 years); Sarah Howland (29 years); Andrea Tidd (39 years); and Julie Dunn (43 years)
The board took no action on altering its mandatory mask policy. The next regular meeting is set for 6 p.m. Monday, March 7.
