"We have received an updated advisory from the BOH on site at Florence Roche. At this time it is their assessment that the illness students are experiencing is caused by a virus," Groton-Dunstable Regional School District Superintendent Laura Chesson said

A virus is causing students to get sick at an elementary school in Groton, Massachusetts, prompting its early dismissal Friday, the superintendent said.

Florence Roche Elementary School has been assessed by the Board of Health, Groton-Dunstable Regional School District Superintendent Laura Chesson said in a statement. She said the school was being closed early because of "the rapid spread of the virus and the age of the students."

Chesson told NBC10 Boston that about 200 students have been sickened, as of Friday afternoon, out of about 530 at the school. The school first started hearing of the sick students around 10:30 p.m. Thursday. By 11:30 p.m., there were around 50 students reporting symptoms.

Read more...