School closes after massive illness hits students, staff
ROSEBURG, Ore. -- An official with the Roseburg School District says students are being sent home due an unusually large number of sick kids.
There will be no school on Friday for Fir Grove Elementary, and kids were being bussed home before noon on Thursday.
Dr. Larry Parsons, the Roseburg Schools Superintendent, says the illness doesn't appear to be food related. "We discovered that the kids who were getting sick, there was no common denominator," he said. "For example, not just the kids who ate a certain sandwich got sick. Some kids who ate a certain kind of meal got sick, some who ate that same meal didn't get sick, and vice versa. And the same with staff."
Staff will be working today and Friday to disinfect the rooms.
Parsons says this is the first time something like this has occurred in the Roseburg schools.
Caroline Regan with Douglas County Environmental Health, says it may be some time before they can determine exactly what type of illness it is.
She said that a parent notified the health department, and they inspected the school Thursday morning.
Regan says the results will be forwarded on to the state.
Of the 316 students at the school, about 150 either stayed home or got sick while at school. One student we spoke with says his second grade class normally has 21 kids. Thursday, only 11 showed.
"We had several staff members out and several more who were not feeling well and needed to go home, so I would estimate that at least half the staff was also sick," Parsons said.
Dr. Parsons said he decided at about 10:30 to close the school, and second grader Baylon Sherman says he thought that was a good idea. "All of the kids that were gone got sent home, so they wouldn't puke on the floor," said Sherman. "We had some people, we had one person puke in the breezeway."
One thing Dr. Parsons says he is extremely worried about is the illness spreading to other schools, possibly through the older brothers and sisters of the kids who go to Fir Grove Elementary School.
Doctor Parsons is asking parents to keep a close eye on their children, and if they show any signs of illness, to just keep them home.
Hope all your kids out there are feeling like my lil one is woke up this mornin full of energy and no stomach ache......noro or epidemic or 24hr bug we shall see
My son goes to Fir Grove and always takes a lunch from home. He has never eaten breakfast or lunch at the school, yet he started throwing up 11:30 pm on Wednesday night with no fever.  It can't be food related if he was sick with this illness and never ate anything from the school. It is probably Noro virus.  And I agree with Ermahgerd...school is not a daycare....do not send your kids to school when they are sick with more than just a cold.....if you do, this is what happens!!!!!! Â
The poor kids more than likely have Noro virus. http://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/symptoms.html
My kids didn't eat the pizza, but I am not willing to blame the undigested toast that they ate either.
Â
Encouraging kids to keep their hands away from their faces (including the nose) combined with effective hand washing would go a long way, and if Parents wanted to be really proactive they would at the very least disinfect the hard surfaces that their children come in contact with.
Â
In addition, listen to your kid, if they do not feel well keep them home, school was not meant to be a daycare. Parents need to be prepared to take some responsibility when it comes to their children's illnesses, even though the easy thing is to blame the pizza.
Â
Wash hands, keep them away from orifices. Done.
@Ermahgerd! yes!!!! thank you!!
Â
YOU DO NOT HAVE FOOD POISONING FOR MORE THAN A WEEK!!! My son too has gotten sick and has been sick the whole week, no vomiting, but eveything else. What benefit would the school get if they were to cover it up?? Nothing! And I doubt the  health inspector would have anything to hide either. You all think if food related, but the health inspector was called in before yesterday, before your kids had pizza. And kids have been getting sick for a few weeks there, this just turned into a bad week.  its a virus, maybe kids should wash their hands, and parents shouldnt seed kids who are contagious to school! kids are still contagious up to 24 hours after there fever breaks! Its a great school, with great teachers! kids get sick, especially when theyre in school. stop blaming other people, or food, for it
 @really?!?! you are right u dont have food poisoning for a week my kids have been in good health this whole week and right before bed again no sign of flu no fever non of the normal signs this is an isolated issue with just fir grove rhs and fremont within blocks of this school has no issue or half students out for the "flu" the very next day not tryin to start a mess but call it what it is FOOD POISONING!!! or is there just a mist hovering on Fir Grove!!
@It's Me well, my kid does not eat the food from school. and the 5 other kids who are out with the same thing, im pretty sure, didnt eat the "PIZZA". and im fairly certian a cough is not a symptom of food poisoning. which all the other kid we exibiting as well.
Crowded environments provide optimal conditions for the spread of grems/viruses; combine this with the fact that children are dirty little gremlins, and perhaps there should be more surprise that there is not more outbreaks such as this.
Â
To immediately point the finger at the school encourages fear mongering, leading to a lynch mob mentality. Our schools deserve more support and faith from the public. I would encourage the good folks of Roseburg to rally in support of the schools that provide daycare/education (depending on your level of involvement) instead of the knee jerk reaction to attach the proverbial scarlet letter to the breast of the school.
Â
Â
I have 2 kids that also attend Fir Grove and only 1 around 4a.m. started puking with no fever or no other signs of flu like symptons I feel this is an isolated sickness due to food poisoning and the excuse of flu is a cover!!!!! Not to be graphic but the only thing that was thrown up was pineapples so i dont know if ne of your children out there also had pineapples yesterday!?!?
I have kids that do not go to this school, and they too are getting sick.
I have two sons that go and both ate the pizza and only one of them got sick. It was very much like food poisoning tho. No fever and just puking and diarrhea.
 @Bruce Boyd i agree 110% no syptoms before school and none after until early this morning!!
I have 3 out of 4 kids at home sick and both of us parents. We only have one child at Fir Grove.
Â
I don't believe it is food related. My son doesn't eat pizza or the hamburgers and he was also sick for a few days. It's been an ongoing battle for 3 weeks. My son has missed almost 2 weeks of school. ( Most of the time was keeping him home so he wouldn't get the class sick) Even the bus drivers are getting it.
@Tinga thank you for thinking of the health of other students. i REALL appreciate it :)
I agree, I have talked to moms of 20+ kids who all had hot lunch and are now sick. We shall see if the rest of us get sick.Â
My son and a few of his friends ate the pizza yesterday.....all sick today. I know of kids you had the hamburger and are fine.....Im pretty sure its food related!