School officials seek answers in first-grader's death

The Hussey School in Berwick, Maine. (Courtesy photo)

NORTH BERWICK, Maine – A first-grader at the Hussey School in Berwick has died of what could be an infectious disease, but the Maine Center of Disease Control and an infectious disease specialist in Boston have assured school officials whatever the child died of poses no risk to the community.

MSAD 60 Schools Superintendent Steven Connolly released the sad news on Saturday in an email to school district parents.

The student, a girl, is said to have died on Friday.

Additional tests are being run to determine the exact cause of death.

Connolly said the cause of death may be infectious, but it is not an illness known as meningococcal disease, variations of which include the highly infectious disease often just called meningitis. 

According to Connolly’s email, there is no recommendation at this time for either staff or students to take any medication as a precaution in response to the student’s death.

He said school counselors will be on hand on Monday to help both students and staff cope with the tragedy.