East End Community School on Munjoy Hill  to go Remote starting January 11 – 15, 2020 Due to  Five Positive Cases of the COVID-19 and 80 Close Contacts.

Five individuals from three different households at East End Community School (EECS) have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past week, resulting in 80 close contacts having to quarantine .  Due to the number of contacts and staff quaranting, EECS will be closed to in-person instruction from Monday, January 11th through January 15th.

Students and staff will transition to fully remote learning during that time.

In conformance with privacy laws regarding health status, the Portland Public Schools do not disclose more specific information about any individuals testing positive (such as their role, grade levels they’re associated with, etc.).

The five cases with school exposures were from three separate households in the past week, leading the Maine CDC to designate EECS as an outbreak site.  While an outbreak designation does not require a school closure, the combination of the number of close contacts and the number of staff required to quarantine led the district to decide to shift EECS students and staff to remove experiences and assignments.

Close contacts have been notified and cleaning protocols at EECS have been put in place.

All community partner programs offering childcare that are associated with EECS also will be closed for the coming week.

Meals will be available for students at Portland, Deering and Casco Bay  high schools and the Talbot Community School from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm.

It is anticipated at this point that the EECS building will reopen for in-person instruction on Tuesday, January 19.  This is the day after the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, when the district schools are closed.

Please see previous post herein for more background information on the COVID-19 in Portland Public Schools.