Students Return To Manatee Bay Elementary After Illness

WESTON (CBSMiami) – Students at Manatee Bay Elementary went back to class Monday morning after hundreds went home or called in sick last week with a mysterious stomach bug.

Cleaning crews worked over the weekend to sanitize the school. The school district told CBS4 News more than 300 kids were out of school with some kind of bug with flu-like symptoms.

"There was nobody in my class only 3 people," said Fifth grader Luciano Quiros.

Word of the illness got out quickly on Friday and parents began picking their children up from school.

"I had to come pick up my son because he was feeling nauseous and when I came here it was madness," said parent Maria Fiez.

Some parents who heard about the mystery illness decided to play it safe.

"Tons of kids were dropping like flies," said parent Jennifer Grassia who picked her child up from school to keep her from catching the bug. "It was a fiasco."

Health officials still haven't figured out what caused the mystery illness.

"When it comes to 300 kids getting sick I thought maybe one more day they would close the school until they actually found what the cause of it was since they still don't know," said Grassia.

Parents say they trust that their children are safe, and are following the schools advice to take preventative measures.

The county's Health Department advised the schools water fountains will be closed off Monday to avoid students putting put unclean hands or their mouths on the faucets.

Students were allowed to bring a personalized bottle of water.

The Health Department continues to advise parents/guardians to take the following precautionary measures:

- Please encourage your children to wash their hands frequently with soap and water especially after using the bathroom and prior to eating.

- If your child has "stomach flu-like" symptoms, including upset stomach, vomiting, fever and/or diarrhea, please keep your child home from school.

- Should symptoms persist, have your child examined by his/her health care provider.