Santa Monica Middle School Closed In Norovirus Scare

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com) — A Santa Monica middle school will be closed Friday on concerns that seventh-grade students may have been exposed to norovirus while on a field trip to Yosemite, school district officials said.

In a notice to parents and staff, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District reported Thursday that 190 students and several teachers and parents from John Adams Middle School went on the five-day trip last week.

The students returned to campus Monday.

"We learned that several students showed signs of illness while still on the trip and we notified all JAMS parents on Sunday, as we worked to identify and determine the extent of the illness,'' according to the notice.

District officials said they are working with the county Department of Public Health, which believes the gastrointestinal illness, possibly norovirus, originated in Yosemite and may affect students from "dozens of school districts.''

Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

District officials said the John Adams campus is being scrubbed with antibacterial cleaners, and the same measures will be taken at "any other classrooms and facilities where we learn of a case.''

The challenge with this illness is that a child or adult may still feel well when they are contagious, making containment difficult, the district said.

The infection can be spread by direct contact with another infected person or eating or drinking contaminated food or liquids.