COVID-19 outbreaks have been reported at Bath Middle School and Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School in Brunswick.

The Maine Center for Disease Control defines an outbreak as three or more cases of COVID-19 within a 14-day period.

Regional School Unit 1 Superintendent Patrick Manuel announced the outbreak status in Bath Monday afternoon.

“These cases are not epidemiologically linked,” Manuel wrote in an email to the community. “The CDC has informed us that this uptick in cases is due to community spread outside of school. There is no evidence of spread within the school building; therefore, the school will remain open to in-person learning.”

The district reported that an individual associated with Bath Middle School had tested positive for COVID-19 and was excluded from school on April 30.

Brunswick Superintendent Phil Potenziano sent out a communitywide notice Monday announcing that Harriet Beecher Stowe is classified under outbreak status after three active cases were reported involving people associated with the elementary school.

Potenziano said that none of the three cases involved close contacts within the school.

“It does not mean that there has been any transmission within schools; more likely, transmission has occurred within the community,” Potenziano wrote. “It also does not mean that schools must close to in-person learning. This designation does not mean that your school is unsafe.”

All Brunswick schools were scheduled to increase to four days a week of in-person learning last Monday. Due to a shortage of bus drivers resulting from potential COVID-19 exposure, the school system went remote Monday through Wednesday.

As of Thursday, all Brunswick schools returned to in-person learning four days-a-week.

On April 19, Potenziano sent out a letter announcing an outbreak at Brunswick High School. According to the school department’s COVID-19 dashboard, there are currently six active or probable cases of COVID-19 at Brunswick High School.

There are currently 10 active or probable COVID-19 cases departmentwide. In total, there have been 67 reported cases.