50+ kids sickened from stomach bug at this Pierce County elementary school
A suspected norovirus outbreak infected several dozen students at Discovery Elementary School in Gig Harbor this month, according to the Peninsula School District.
The school first identified multiple students showing symptoms of gastroenteritis on May 8, the district said in a news release on May 12. School staff sent affected students home and alerted the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department when the numbers of students absent reached the reporting threshold. District spokesperson Jake Voss told The News Tribune via email that the district reports greater than 10% absent on any given day to the health department.
Gastroenteritis is often called “the stomach flu” and refers to inflammation of the stomach and intestines that can lead to diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, according to the Mayo Clinic. Common causes include viruses or contaminated food or water, the clinic’s website says.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department determined that norovirus was the suspected cause of the outbreak at Discovery Elementary, the district media release said.
Norovirus is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea from acute inflammation of the stomach and intestines in the U.S. population and the country’s leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s the same virus often associated with cruise-ship outbreaks, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department website says.
“Our school team promptly communicated with all Discovery Elementary families Friday morning (May 9), sharing TPCHD’s guidance that children and staff showing symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea should remain home until they have been symptom-free for 48 hours,” the release said.
Absences due to illness peaked at 54 students on Friday, May 9, according to an update from Discovery Elementary that district spokesperson Jake Voss shared via email on May 13. That number went down in the days following, reaching 15 confirmed absences due to illness on May 13. Staff were working to verify another 14 absences May 13 for as yet unknown reasons. Discovery Elementary has over 400 students, according to the school update.
Asked about any staff infected, Voss wrote in an email that three staff members caught the illness, and one went home early from work on Friday. “One staff member is absent today with symptoms,” he wrote.
The health department investigation determined that the school kitchen was not the source of the outbreak, but the district took the following precautionary measures, as quoted from the district media release:
Temporarily closed the Discovery Elementary kitchen for thorough sanitization
Arranged for meal preparation at an alternate location, with packaged breakfast and lunch options provided to students
Enhanced cleaning protocols throughout the building
Scheduled periodic restroom closures during school hours for additional disinfection
As of May 13, the Discovery Elementary kitchen had returned to normal operations, preparing and serving food on-site, according to the school’s update. Health department staff visited the school on May 9 and May 12 but don’t have known plans for another visit. A district health contact remains in communication with the health department as needed, the school’s update said.
“Norovirus outbreaks in schools are fairly common, and we are aware of a few each year,” Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department spokesperson Brett Cihon wrote in an email on May 13. He wrote that the health department will continue to work with Discovery Elementary “to clean and monitor for any illnesses.”
The health department website says that norovirus is “very contagious” and that an average person will get infected five times in their life. It spreads through food, surfaces and contact with other people, as well as through vomit and feces from infected people. Symptoms last from one to three days, but people can still spread the illness after symptoms disappear.
People who are sick should stay home and avoid preparing food for others, the health department website recommends. Washing your hands frequently, disinfecting surfaces with bleach and washing clothes in hot water help prevent spread, according to the health department website.
This story was originally published May 13, 2025 at 1:17 PM.
