DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Dearborn Heights school was closed Friday after a gastrointestinal virus spread to dozens of students.
District 7 Schools says nearly 100 students at Pardee Elementary School called out or were sent home early this week after showing symptoms like severe stomach ache, coughing, wheezing, and vomiting. The district says there was a staff member who had to leave early after showing similar symptoms too. The school was also forced to cancel their big holiday event scheduled for Thursday night as a result.
Friday, only maintenance workers were allowed in the building as a deep cleaning process got underway. Crews worked to sanitize each surface and spray disinfectant throughout the building.
Scott Lantz who lives nearby says he was babysitting his grandson Logan Friday who attends the school.
"I do not like seeing young kids get sick. I don’t like seeing anyone get sick. My concern is that everyone stays safe," said Lantz.
The district says they're now working with the Wayne County Public Division to determine what the exact illness is but they believe it is likely gastroenteritis which is commonly caused by norovirus. They sent home a letter warning parents about the symptoms to look out for.
Norovirus commonly presents symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramping, and nausea. People battling norovirus can also experience fever, headache weakness, and muscle aches however symptoms typically clear up in 1 to 2 days.
"We’ve been monitoring our attendance levels throughout the week and they started to peak Wednesday," said Interim Superintendent Mark Kleinhans.
Kleinhans says because the virus appears to be isolated to Pardee Elementary, they allowed other students in the district to attend classes as normal on Friday. However, they are aware that the virus could spread to other buildings and will be monitoring students over the next week.
"There were approximately 86 students that were not in attendance yesterday. In a couple of those classrooms there were a number of students that were absent, 8 to 10 that had to go home sick, and a staff member that had to leave," said Kleinhans." I just felt it was the right thing to do. It was the safe thing to do and we really hope that by taking these steps we can get back to normalcy on Monday."
The district says they anticipate reopening the elementary school on Monday.
" I know they’re doing the best they can. They’re cleaning the school and we’ll go from there," said Lantz.
