Sara Alert Information

January 19, 2021

RE: Sara Alert Information

Dear Students, Families, and Staff,

If you are a staff person or a student who is identified as a close contact of a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 at school, you will be notified by the school through a phone call or email and provided initial guidance on next steps, including quarantining and testing. Once you have received notification from the school, the Maine CDC’s Sara Alert system will begin sending you follow up guidance via text messages. 

Sara Alert is an automated system that uses daily text messages to help people who have been identified as close contacts to monitor for symptoms after exposure. All students and staff will be enrolled in Sara Alert if they are identified as having been in close contact with a COVID-19 positive person while at school.

There is nothing required of you to be automatically enrolled in this service. If, however, you would like to opt out of Sara Alert, please contact your school nurse at the appropriate school building by Wednesday, January 27, 2021. (Staff should contact the district Human Resource Director.) If you do opt out of the Sara Alert system, and are later identified as a close contact to a positive case, you will receive follow up phone calls to confirm you have opted to not receive the automated text messages from Maine CDC. 

Additional assistance is provided to Maine residents who have been identified as a close contact of a COVID-19 positive person, and need support during quarantine. You may request this assistance by using this online form: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/form/covid-19-referral-form

Additional information about community care and social support is available here: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/coronavirus-resources/support-for-isolation-quarantine, or you can send an email to dhhs.covid.socialsupport@Maine.gov

Sincerely,

Jay Charette

Superintendent of Schools