BRISTOL — Newfound Area School District Superintendent Marie Ross is in stable condition in a Maryland hospital after suffering what was initially termed a stroke last weekend.

Ross, who has been superintendent for the past eight years, was visiting family when she fell ill on Saturday, said Vincent Migliore, the school board’s chair.

She was taken to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where she is now listed in stable condition.

“The first thing we heard was that it was a stroke, but that wasn’t a medical evaluation,” Migliore said. “Right now it is being termed an unknown illness.

“Since then, all we know is she’s being evaluated. We certainly hope that this is going to be a short absence, but we don’t know yet.”

Her husband, Sherman Ross, is with her, as are her adult children, Migliore said.

Migliore said he was informed of the superintendent’s condition by a phone call Sunday morning. Since then, the school district staff, whom Ross calls her “A-Team,” has been working hard to fill her duties, he said.

“I witnessed how strong her A-Team is firsthand on Monday. They’re doing quite a good job,” he said.

The school board held a special meeting Monday night on the matter, and the district staff sent a letter to parents Tuesday explaining the situation and asking parents with concerns to contact the appropriate principal.

The district, known as SAU 4, includes the Bridgewater-Hebron Village School, the Bristol Elementary School, the Danbury Elementary School, the New Hampton Community School, Newfound Memorial Middle School and Newfound Regional High School.

Though Ross has been gone for only two days, “we already miss her presence,” Migliore said.

“She’s such a young, vibrant person,” he said. “This has cast a pall of concern. But she has established a chain of command among her staff and the principals and vice-principals at the schools, and we’ll do fine until she returns.”

dseufert@newstote.com