Multiple Students Become Sick at Boston Elementary School

Boston Public School officials say dozens of students have been sick at the Mendell Elementary School in Roxbury

Boston Public School officials are taking action after multiple students recently became sick, forcing parents to keep them home.

It happened at the Mendell Elementary School in the Roxbury section of Boston.

According to BPS, several of the students were sick because of a stomach bug.

“I do feel like it's everywhere,” said Stephanie Byttebir.

Her son attends the school but she told necn her child did feel ill.

“He never got it. So we're spared,” Byttebir said.

But other children weren’t so lucky.

According to BPS officials, 21 students were absent on Wednesday. On Tuesday, 26 students were out. The district says 19 students have been out for 2 or more days in a row. Three have been out all week. Because it is an unusually high number of students, the school sent a letter home to parents.

“They sent a letter explaining what the virus is and what to look for and then warned us not to send our child to school,” Byttebir told necn’s Jason Frazer.

In response to the abnormal number of children absent, the district told necn in a statement “the BPS facilities department has conducted thorough cleanings of the school on multiple occasions this week to prevent the transmission of illnesses.”

The district also said it was unsure how many students that were absent were also sick.

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