Monmouth County School District Closes As Health Scare Gets Worse

A health scare got worse at a New Jersey school district this week, prompting it to close on Friday. The school is expected to reopen on Monday.

Half of the student body got sick at one of the schools on Thursday, and school officials say they're closing the whole school district "out of an abundance of caution."

Twenty-five kids first went home sick this week at the Ocean Towship Intermediate School, all having similar symptons related to a stomach ailment, according to James Stefankiewicz, Ocean Township superintendent.

Appoximately 18 percent of the student body was absent on Wednesday. That number rose to 45 percent on Thursday, while a normal day would be 6 percent.

Rumors that stuents were vomiting at Ocean Township High School were completely unfornded, officials said.

"Please know that the health issues seen at the Intermediate School have not appeared at any of the other four schools," officiala said. "However, we are closing all schools as a precaution and to conduct a thorough cleaning of all district facilities. Repeat, all Ocean Township Schools will be closed tomorrow, Friday, April 5, 2019."

The absenses first happened on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the school saw a higher number of absences than normal, with some studnents coming to school already feeling ill, Stefankiewicz said.

"We are in close contact with the Monmouth County Regional Health Commission and we are following their guidelines on how to proceed," he said. "At this time, there is no plan to close the school but we will continue to monitor the situation and work with the Department of Health."

If your student is displaying any symptoms of illnesss, it's imperative that you keep your child home from school until they are free of symptoms for at least 24 hours, Stefankiewicz said.

Please continue to preach good hygiene practices with your kids such as making sure they wash their hands, he said.