Princeton Elementary School in Suitland, Maryland will stay closed through Friday, Oct. 30, after officials reported a wave of respiratory and gastrointestinal illness moving through students and staff. School officials said the closure gives the infectious period time to pass while crews deep-clean and sanitize the building before students return.
The scale of the outbreak depends on which account you read. According to WJLA, officials said in a statement Tuesday night that rising illnesses had affected 65 students and staff combined. A separate report from FOX 5 DC put the number at 48 students and 16 staff members experiencing flu-like and gastroenteritis-like symptoms. Both outlets attribute their figures to officials, and the dossier does not resolve which count is accurate.
The decision to close the school was made jointly by the school district and Prince George's County's health department, the station's report notes. Most of those affected reported influenza-like and gastroenteritis-like symptoms, according to DC News Now. Neither Prince George's County Public Schools nor the county health department has released exact details identifying the type of illness behind the outbreak.
Deep Cleaning Crews Move In
Associate Superintendent Denise Douglas said facility crews would conduct a comprehensive deep cleaning and sanitization of the school building, per the same account from DC News Now. The closure is meant to allow the infectious period to pass while that cleaning takes place, FOX 5 DC reported. School officials have also encouraged parents to track symptoms among their own children during the closure.
Prince George's County Public Schools maintains broader guidance for responding to flu season across the district. The system says it is increasing disinfection of high-touch areas in schools and buses as part of its routine response, according to Prince George's County Public Schools. The district also says it tracks illness reports, updates families regularly, and coordinates with health officials to respond appropriately when cases rise.
What Families Should Know Before Returning
PGCPS guidance advises keeping sick children home until they have been fever-free for 24 hours without medication, per the district's influenza resources page. The district also notes that temporary masking may be required at a school if flu cases there are especially high, though nothing in the available information indicates that step has been taken at Princeton Elementary. For families looking to get ahead of flu season, the Prince George's County Health Department runs community flu vaccination clinics open to all county residents with no appointment required.
Princeton Elementary's shutdown echoes a string of similar school closures that have played out elsewhere this year. In Medford, Massachusetts, Roberts Elementary School closed for a second day after more than 130 students and at least 20 staff members got sick in what was described as a suspected norovirus outbreak, according to CBS News Boston. Crews there conducted a deep clean covering classrooms, doorknobs, kitchen equipment and other frequently touched surfaces. An infectious-disease expert quoted in that report said the size of the outbreak warranted additional investigation, noting, “This magnitude of an outbreak suggests some additional investigations are necessary.”
A similar scenario unfolded in the Florida Panhandle, where Jackson County schools closed for a full day of deep cleaning in response to a suspected norovirus outbreak, WTVY reported. Officials there asked parents to keep children home until they had been symptom-free for at least 24 hours. None of these comparable outbreaks confirms what pathogen is behind the illnesses reported at Princeton Elementary, and no specific diagnosis has been identified in Suitland.
For now, Princeton Elementary families are left waiting out the week while the building undergoes its cleaning and the infectious period runs its course. School officials have not said whether the campus will reopen as scheduled after Friday, and no further details on the cause of the illnesses have been released.
