Fryeburg Academy’s competitive fall sports season is over after the private boarding school decided Monday to switch to remote learning through Nov. 6 after a student and teacher tested positive for COVID-19.
The final date of competition for fall sports teams in Maine is Nov. 14.
“We are done. We made a decision that being remote this week and next week that if we do anything that last week, it won’t be games,” said Fryeburg Athletic Director Sue Thurston.
Fryeburg is the third school this week that had to shut down some or all of its athletics because of coronavirus concerns. Morse’s varsity and junior varsity boys soccer teams began a 14-day quarantine after it was learned an opponent from Medomak Valley, which Morse had played Saturday, had tested positive. Also Monday, Gardiner suspended all of its athletic and extra-curricular activities at least through Friday because of a probable positive case. Last week, Mount View and Belfast shut down athletics for the rest of the fall season following the now 60-case outbreak connected to gatherings at a Waldo County church.
Fryeburg Academy, a private boarding school in Oxford County that also serves as the high school for area residents, learned a student had tested positive on Thursday, prompting an early release from school on Friday. On Saturday, a teacher also tested positive, leading to the decision to shut down in-person learning. Boarding students will take remote classes while staying in dorms. Thurston said some students determined to have been in close contact with the positive cases are currently being housed in a quarantine dorm.
One Fryeburg cross country runner, who did not have close contact with either of the two COVID-positive people, will be allowed to compete in Wednesday’s Western Maine Conference Class B qualifying race, to be held in Freeport, Thurston said.
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