Dozens of students sick in possible norovirus outbreak in Gig Harbor, WA

GIG HARBOR, Wash. - Dozens of students are sick in a possible norovirus outbreak at an elementary school in Gig Harbor.

According to the Peninsula School District, administrators at Discovery Elementary School noticed several students showing symptoms of gastroenteritis last Thursday. Symptoms include abdominal cramps, diarrhea and vomiting.

Timeline:

By Friday, around 50 students were either absent or sent home early. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department suspects norovirus as the cause, affecting both students and staff. Here's a timeline of student absences:

• Thursday: 44 absent due to illness (55 overall)
• Friday: 54 absent due to illness (72 overall)
• Monday: 22 absent due to illness (35 overall)
• Tuesday: 15 absent due to illness (33 overall)

Officials say Tuesday's absences are still unverified with staff working to confirm a reason, so the number due to illness may be higher.

Families of Discovery Elementary have been notified about the situation and instructed to keep their children home until they have been symptom-free for at least 48 hours.

What's next:

Discovery Elementary implemented the following safety protocols: 

• The school kitchen was temporarily closed for thorough sanitization, even though it was not identified as the source of the illness. Officials said it reopened on Tuesday, May 13.
• While the kitchen was closed, meal preparation was relocated and students received packaged breakfast and lunch options.
• Enhanced cleaning protocols are in effect throughout the building.
• Restrooms will be closed periodically during school hours for additional disinfection.

What they're saying:

"We are working with Discovery Elementary in Gig Harbor following a suspected Norovirus outbreak," announced the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. "After we learned of a possible outbreak Friday afternoon, we sent staff members to the school to direct them on infection prevention and cleaning. We worked with Peninsula School District to prepare lunch at another school and served bag lunches at Discovery Monday. School staff cleaned and sanitized the school. In-house food preparation resumed Tuesday. We’ll continue to work with the school to clean and monitor for any illnesses."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE

Foods recalled for listeria sold in WA

WA Gov. Ferguson to sign reckless speeding bill

Military vehicle crashes over I-90 wall in Bellevue, WA

Triplet siblings of murdered Idaho student graduate without him

Park safety top of mind as confusion surrounds Seattle nude beach

New area code coming to Seattle area in June. What to know

WA's first In-N-Out gets closer to opening date

To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.