El Paso County Public Health is investigating an illness outbreak at McAuliffe Elementary in Colorado Springs. The school told families it had seen a rise in student illnesses and disinfected its entire building in response. The cause has not been identified.
According to KKTV, the school sent families a letter about the increase. Parent Donneca Wheatley said her autistic son became seriously ill the Friday before Halloween, including vomiting blood. She kept him home from school and therapy for a week while he recovered.
Doctors Report a Surge in Sick Kids Across the Region
The school-specific illness spike comes amid a broader uptick in respiratory illness among children, according to area physicians. Dr. Richard Vu said his Mathews-Vu office is seeing more sick children, with COVID-19, influenza A—which he said was the most prevalent—and other respiratory illnesses circulating. He encouraged parents to get children who have not received a flu shot vaccinated through a pharmacy or pediatrician.
The numbers back up what doctors are seeing in their exam rooms. El Paso County went from 5 respiratory illness hospitalizations to nearly 30 between August and September, the station's report notes. The Colorado State Health Department has also said hospitalizations from respiratory illnesses are up compared with last year, a trend echoed statewide heading into the heart of flu season.
Flu Season Arrived Early This Year
El Paso County health officials warned last month that flu activity was increasing earlier than usual; they typically see higher numbers around December or January. At the time, the county said influenza, pertussis—also known as whooping cough—and COVID-19 were circulating in the community. Colorado state leaders have also reported the state's first child flu death this season.
It's not the first time a Colorado Springs school has dealt with a confirmed contagious outbreak; a KKTV headline from January 2025 reported a confirmed whooping cough outbreak at a Colorado Springs middle school, though that case is unrelated to the current situation at McAuliffe Elementary.
A Separate Pertussis Notice in 2025
FOX21 reported that on Jan. 29, 2025, El Paso County Public Health issued a pertussis outbreak notice to Jenkins Middle School families in Colorado Springs, describing it as the county's first outbreak of the year. The notice concerned a named bacterial disease and a separate incident from the illnesses being investigated at McAuliffe, whose cause remains unidentified, according to FOX21 News Colorado.
What Parents Should Watch For
El Paso County Public Health is advising parents to keep an eye out for a specific set of symptoms as the respiratory illness season, which generally runs from October through May, picks up steam. The agency recommends watching for coughing, sore throat, chills, fever, runny nose and head or body aches. People experiencing a fever, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea should stay home, the county has said.
Health officials also laid out guidance for when sick students and staff can safely return to the classroom. They recommend students and staff be free of a fever or any of the listed symptoms for at least 24 hours before heading back to school. For families like Wheatley's, that guidance has meant extended time away from the classroom and therapy sessions while waiting out the illness at home.
