Stomach Flu Outbreak Cost Pleasanton Schools $230,000

PLEASANTON, CA — A stomach flu outbreak at five local schools cost the Pleasanton Unified School District $234,000 in cleaning fees. The outbreak was so severe that four in 10 Pleasanton Middle School students were absent at one point.

As Pleasanton Weekly first reported, the district hired Restoration Management Company — which usually helps clean up damage from water, fire and mold for the district — to disinfect Pleasanton Middle, Lydiksen Elementary School, Hart Middle School, Hearst Elementary School and Foothill High school, said district Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Ahman Sheikholeslami in a note to the Board of Trustees.

Families were asked to take precautions after the district determined the bug was spreading at schools. Foothill High Principal Sebastian Bull said in a letter to families that classrooms were being deep-cleaned and all surfaces that were touched frequently, such as light switches and doorknobs, were being disinfected.

The stomach flu is behind the 19-21 million annual cases of acute gastroenteritis in the U.S. Every year the bug also causes 56,000 to 71,000 hospitalizations and 570 to 800 deaths in the U.S., mostly in young children and the elderly, according to the CDC.

The district has asked the board to approve the cleaning fees from Oct. 23 to Nov. 21 at its Tuesday meeting. The district has submitted a claim to the East Bay Schools Insurance Group, but said it's still unclear whether its policy will cover the costs.