3.24.2021
Dear Brewer Schools’ Families & Staff,
We received notice from the Maine Center for Disease Control (MCDC) that Brewer Community School has been qualified as having an official COVID-19 outbreak. In speaking with the MCDC they explained that this is a technical metric that means three people associated with the school have had a case over a fourteen day time period.
No case has been traced to any Brewer School or program, though with community spread of the virus there is no way to confirm where cases originate. The MCDC agreed that, based on our information, there is minimal chance that has happened. It was gratifying to hear their representative tell us that we have “done everything right.”
This designation does not change our status as being open for in-person education.
I am so proud of our students and staff for the great work that is getting done on a daily basis, both in terms of safety precautions that are being followed and in the academic work that is being accomplished. I also see students taking one another into consideration and enjoying being together at school.
Brewer's schools are among the safest places for students to be during the pandemic We are in the business of making life difficult for the virus through distancing, mask wearing, and upgraded ventilation and filtration among other key practices.
However, the CDC has a very strict set of rules for quarantining individuals when it comes to schools. This helps us keep everyone safe, and in Brewer we always comply with every requirement or go beyond these in order to make sure we keep any risk at an absolute minimum. But it also means that we sometimes hit bumps in the road and have students and staff out for quarantining.
In all this we have and will continue to. strive to do our best to support everyone’s physical health, social/emotional well being, and academic learning.
Part of the deal includes keeping each of you informed. So, having just learned of this status notification a few hours ago we are making you aware. We can be removed from the list in a few weeks if we can all work together to keep positive cases from coming into our buildings in the first place. You are all a big part of that as you help us adhere to our Keys to Safety in the Brewer Schools and especially monitor for any symptoms and keep students home when they present with any symptom.
Symptom Screening
Everyone must have a self-check for symptoms of COVID-19 before walking through the schools doors. These include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting or diarrhea
Anyone with symptoms from the Pre-Screening tool must report these to the school nurse and not be present at school. If they are already at school they will wait in a clean room that has already been identified for this use until the person can be picked up by a parent or guardian. If the person is already at home they will stay there and the symptoms should be called into the school nurse as well as any medical doctor or practice who the family sees.
Here is information on what it means to be in quarantine, and if someone in the household needs to be tested we strongly recommend getting that done in a timely manner.
As those people who are able and willing to be vaccinated roll up their collective sleeves we are getting closer to beating this virus. Until then, let's stay in touch and share information whenever possible. As March turns to April I am hopeful for what lies ahead.
Sincerely,
Gregg Palmer, Superintendent of School
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