Local school campus closed Friday because of illness

A campus of three charter schools in Colorado Springs closed Friday because of concern about the flu.

The situation affects the Astrozon Boulevard campus of James Irwin Charter School on the city’s east side.

The campus houses an elementary school, a middle school and a high school.

Harrison School District 2 said more than a dozen elementary school teachers became sick on Wednesday. The elementary school closed Thursday to give the teachers time to recover and to see if any students became sick. The district did not know if any kids got sick.

The entire campus was disinfected Friday by the normal cleaning crew. Workers wiped surfaces with a bleach solution, hoping to limit the spread of the illness.

Administrators said the illness appears to be a stomach “bug.” Symptoms include dizziness and nausea.

“I have two kids at James Irwin,” said Leanna Kim, a parent at the school. “I have one in elementary and one in the high school. I’m really concerned. I’m just happy that they closed the school down, recognized there’s a problem, got things cleaned up and under control.”

All three schools closed Friday as a precaution and are expected to reopen Monday.