"Widespread sicknesses" circulating through Orange Beach City Schools

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (WPMI) — Nearly 25% of students in the Orange Beach School System called in sick Wednesday. Now the middle and high schools are taking extra precautions to make sure students and staff are safe the rest of the week. Parents are alarmed over the number of students and faculty who are getting sick. We're told students started feeling sick after the homecoming dance last week.

Superintendent Randy Wilkes says attendance started dropping on Monday. On Wednesday, only about 77% of students in the school system showed up for school.

“We have students and teachers and staff that have high fever, some congestion problems, flu like symptoms and even some flu cases in our school,” says Wilkes.

On Wednesday, Superintendent Wilkes emailed parents a letter letting parents know that there is widespread sickness going throughout the school and they are taking additional cleaning measures. They also gave students sanitation packets to bring home with them from school.

“We’re certainly going to use those sanitation wipes between every class change. We’re fumigating our classrooms. We’re talking about good hygiene again just like we did when covid was at its peak,” says Wilkes.

I reached out to urgent cares in the area and American Family Care told me they have are treating Orange Beach students for cases of the flu, mono, strep throat, and COVID. I spoke with a parent of a student that goes to orange beach middle high school. He tells me the outbreak of different sicknesses is concerning.

“I asked was it COVID? But they said no, it’s not COVID it’s a combination of things so I was just like well I just need to doctor my son up and keep him healthy,” the parent told me.

Wilkes says he’s confident they’ll move past this.

“We have no indication from the medical physicians in town that this will not pass, but the uncommon thing that we are seeing is extremely high fevers over 104,” says Wilkes.

Some parents told me they think the last week's homecoming festivities served as superspreader events.