A mystery illness continues to plague a Marion County school with the number of students sent home Wednesday more than doubling. Now the illness is reaching into the community.
Parent after parent came to pick up sick children at East Marion Elementary Wednesday -- 23 in all, and 14 more than there were Tuesday.
Ken Horn’s daughter Kennedy was one of the students.
“Her stomach hurting and she's vomiting," Horn said. "I had one at home today and all three home yesterday.”
The problem began Oct. 3 when the school called the Florida Department of Health because so many students were sick with a mystery illness. They began bringing in extra custodians to wipe down surfaces in the school and on the bus, and deployed sanitation foggers.
However, the symptoms have continued and 207 of the school’s approximately 700 students were absent Wednesday.
“I had a mom come in today who said her whole family has got it now, and a father even got taken to the hospital because he was so sick,” East Marion Elementary Principal Rusty Corley said.
Corley said the most common symptoms are nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Five staff members were out again Wednesday, and as news of the mystery illness spreads, Corley said it’s getting hard to find substitute teachers.
“They are hesitant to come out here right now I think, so I have considered collapsing some classes,” Corley said.
He said with many classrooms more than half empty, lesson plans are being adjusted so students don’t fall too far behind. But there’s one lesson he hopes all students and parents learn from this.
“They are coming back and spreading it, or catching it even worse, so 24-hour symptom-free sure would help out a lot,” Corley said.
The Florida Department of Health recommends kids sing happy birthday twice to make sure they are washing their hands for at least 20 seconds.
School officials plan to probably do one final decontamination fogging on Friday, hoping things will get back to normal when school resumes Monday.