Santa Monica School Cancels Activities In Effort To Stop Spreading Norovirus

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com)  —   A Santa Monica school is curtailing school activities where they're trying to stop the spread of the norovirus.

CBS2's Randy Paige spoke to concerned parents of students at John Adams Middle School.

"The school dance was canceled," said Silvia Huizar.

"I like that the school is being proactive," said Paul Coulam.

The parents received an email from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District which said that optional group activities including dances,field trips and music rehearsals will be canceled to stop the spread of the gastr0-intestinal illness, most likely the norovius which has been going around.

"They just want to keep, I guess, the kids apart from each other outside the classroom so that they can get rid of the virus completely," Huizar said.

The LA County Department of Public Health says some students of the middle school may have contracted the highly-contagious virus at a science camp they attended in Yosemite last month.

The district says 150 students and teachers at the school have come down with the bug. A number of students at other schools have also said they have been sickened by the virus, many of them siblings of students at John Adams.

"They did tell us what to do, to tell the them [the kids] to wash their hands,but it's so hard, they're in middle school, they don't care, so then, you know, they go home and spread it to their siblings," Huizar said.

"I think the most important thing to bring home is that parents are responsible, to keep their kids at home if they're showing any symptoms," said parent Natasha Watson, "and I know that's difficult with working parents, such as myself, but I think that's critical -- to make sure they follow the guidelines and keep their kids home."

The school said normal activities will resume once the health department gives them the green light.

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