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Viral Infection Blamed As More Than 120 Students At Schererville School Stay Home Sick

(CBS) -- A viral infection is being blamed for more than a hundred sick kids at a school in Schererville, Ind.

CBS 2's Brad Edwards reports, with the sterility of operation room precision, from Hoosier Hall to nurse Schmidt's office, it's a scrub down at Peifer Elementary School.

"It's a little alarming just because that's a lot of kids," said Jennifer Howard, a parent of two kids at the school.

The calls flooded in.

"At approximately 7:20 -- that we were experiencing an unusual high number of call offs -- with basically the same symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea," said Assistant Superintendent Al Gandolfi.

In all, more than 120 kids called in sick. The school, as a precaution, didn't sell milk, but now, it's believed it was a viral infection ailed more than 25 percent of the student body.

Howard's kids aren't sick, but she said, "I know our friends that live down the street her kids are home sick today and they've been in contact with them."

So it's wait and see. They're not waiting at the school.

"We will clean every door nob, every wall, every desk, every computer keyboard," said Gandolfi.

The school brought in three times the usual custodians to sanitize the school. They'll be open Thursday, but a letter to parents urged kids with symptoms to stay home an extra day.

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