Creekview Middle School shut down on Friday following a surge in norovirus cases among students and staff, allowing for intensive disinfection after initial efforts to curb the spread failed.
The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District announced the closure on Thursday, citing ongoing consultations with Tarrant County Public Health. Crews began deep-cleaning the campus on Wednesday, with further sanitizing on Thursday, but the number of illnesses continued to rise.
“While we understand this may cause inconvenience for families, this decision was made with the health and safety of our students, staff, and families as our top priority,” the district told parents. “Tarrant County Public Health supports a day of closure to allow for further disinfecting in alignment with public health guidelines.”
After health officials toured the site and assessed conditions, they endorsed the one-day pause to align with safety protocols. The outbreak remains isolated to Creekview, with all other district campuses operating normally on Friday.
Classes are set to resume on Monday on a regular schedule.
Norovirus, often called the stomach flu despite no link to influenza, is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It triggers acute gastroenteritis, inflaming the stomach or intestines.
“It’s a very, very contagious virus that spreads quickly, especially in areas of close contact, so schools, daycares, cruise ships, things like that,” Dr. Nazima Zakhidova, a McKinney pediatrician, told CBS News Texas in December.
Transmission occurs via direct contact with infected individuals, tainted food or water, or contaminated surfaces, followed by mouth contact.
Symptoms encompass nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, body aches, headache, and fever, typically resolving in one to three days.
However, contagiousness persists for up to three days after recovery, and the virus can linger in stool for two weeks or longer, health experts note. Prevention hinges on rigorous handwashing with soap and water.
