Schools

Illness Causes Concern at Wheaton Middle School; After-School Activities Canceled

Undetermined illness has many students, staffers out sick on Monday; signs and symptoms point to a virus known to be very contagious.

Edison Middle School in Wheaton has cancelled all after-school activities on Monday, Nov. 11, 2013, prompted by an undetermined illness that has struck children, school staffers and families, the school announced on its website.

“While we cannot say for sure that the illness that spread to many Edison students, families and staff is indeed norovirus, the signs and symptoms seem to be pointing in that direction,” school officials said in the website post.

If it indeed is norovirus, the school cites the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s information about the illness — that those suffering these symptoms may remain contagious for two to three days after the symptoms disappear.

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Norovirus is very contagious, according to the CDC, with symptoms that can include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain, as well as headache, body aches and fever.

“If your child experienced diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and/or stomach pain this weekend, we encourage you to keep your child home to rest, recover, rehydrate and decrease the chance of spreading the illness to others,” the school’s website states.

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The school asks that if your child will be staying home, please call the attendance line at 630-682-2053 and leave your child's name, grade and symptoms.

The website states the school is working with the DuPage County Health Department to prevent the spread of the illness. The school also is directing parents and staffers to the CDC’s Preventing Norovirus Infection page.

Earlier in the day, also a result of the illnesses, Edison canceled its Veterans Day assembly, which the school hopes to reschedule.

Email to Parents

Monday afternoon, Wheaton Community Unit School District 200 sent the following as an email to Edison Middle School families:

Good afternoon Edison families,

This is Principal Rachel Bednar calling with an update. Today we have had many students and staff out sick with gastro-intestinal symptoms. This past Friday, we did not have an unusual number of absences. Most individuals have reported recovery within 24-48 hours.

Our health staff has been in communication with the DuPage County Health Department to ensure that we continue to follow and maintain proper healthcare protocols. In conjunction with the health department’s protocols for public schools regarding cleaning and disinfecting, we:

  • have thoroughly cleaned and disinfected all common areas
  • reminded students and staff to frequently wash their hands with soap
  • asked students and staff to use hand sanitizer upon entering the lunchroom
  • used disposable trays for lunch and wiped down the keypad with a sanitizing solution after each student
  • will thoroughly clean and disinfect all desktops and chairs this evening

It is important that students experiencing illness stay home from school until they are free from vomiting and/or diarrhea without medication for at least 24 hours. If you have a child who will be out of school ill, please call the attendance line at 630-682-2053 with specific symptoms (e.g., vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills, aches) as these must be reported to the DuPage County Health Department.  Our school health office staff is available to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

If anyone in your family has visited a doctor and received a diagnosis, we would ask that you call our health office at 630-682-2050 x6263 to share that information with us. If anyone in your household is suffering from an illness, please visit the County Health Department’s website at www.dupagehealth.org for additional information.

All after-school activities for today, Monday, are cancelled. I will keep you updated regarding this situation. We look forward to seeing your healthy students back at school tomorrow.


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