Officials say sickness that shut down school was norovirus

FRANKLIN (WITI) -- Officials in Franklin have confirmed the illness that shut down a school after 68 children became sickened has been confirmed as norovirus.

Pleasant View Elementary School in Franklin reopened on Monday morning, May 20th.

The school was closed on Friday due to a high number of gastroenteritis illnesses. Food served at the school was not identified as a source of illness.

Biological samples from six of the 68 affected students were collected, and all specimens tested positive for norovirus.

The school was closed on Friday for a thorough cleaning, and students have now returned to normal classroom and extracurricular activities.

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus found in the stool or vomit of an infected person. The most common symptoms are a sudden onset of vomiting, watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps and nausea.