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A school in Alabama is closed Thursday after almost 800 students were absent amid an outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness that is being investigated by public health officials.
On Tuesday, 29 students missed classes at Fairhope West Elementary School, according to WALA-TV. Overnight, the number rocketed into the hundreds, with half of the school’s staff also absent on Wednesday.
Not all of the 773 students and 50 staff members absent on Wednesday were off because they were sick, Baldwin County Public Schools Spokeswoman Chasity Riddick told AL.com, as parents were told that absences would be excused if they decided to keep their kids home as the sickness spread around the school. Only 201 kids showed up, according to WPMI-TV.