An elementary school student from South Euclid died over the weekend after suffering from Streptococcus pneumoniae, the school district said.
According to a news release from the South Euclid-Lyndhurst School District, the student attended Rowland Elementary and was sent home from school on Thursday at noon due to a high fever.
The district said there was no school Friday and Monday, and officials were notified of the death on Tuesday.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the family,” said Superintendent Dr. William Zelei.
The Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office said it plans to conduct an autopsy on Wednesday, and confirmed the student was a 7-year-old girl.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCC), Streptococcus pneumoniae is “a bacterium that frequently colonizes the nasopharynx of healthy persons, particularly young children, without causing illness.”
The district said it plans to take extra safety precautions and will be disinfecting the affected areas.
“According to the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, any bacteria that may have been present between Thursday and today would have died, therefore posing no threat to students or staff,” the school district said in the release.
The school will also be sending letters to parents to notify them of the situation.
Grief counselors were brought into the school Tuesday for students and staff.
article courtesy of Newsnet5.com
