Marcus Garvey Academy on Detroit’s east side is closed until Monday due to high levels of illness spreading among students.
“This week, the school has experienced an unusually high rate of flu-like symptoms including student fevers, and vomiting, namely at the early grade levels,” Detroit Public Schools Community District said in a statement. “We have been actively communicating with the Detroit Health Department about these cases and we have mutually agreed that the best course of action right now is to close the school until Monday to allow families to monitor their children’s symptoms and to deep clean the school.”
The Detroit Health Department said in a news release that it’s working with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) in addition to DPSCD to monitor and trace all reported illnesses involving students from Marcus Garvey Academy.
When the health department received reports of symptomatic students at Garvey, the agency sent a team to the school to assist DPSCD leadership with evaluation, monitoring review of protocols for deep cleaning and disinfecting.
DHD urges parents and caregivers to monitor children between the ages of 4 and 7 and seek medical care if they’re experiencing these symptoms:
- Fever
- Headache
- Lethargy
- Nausea/vomiting
- Abdominal pain
DPSCD also noted that a kindergarten student from Marcus Garvey died last week. The medical examiner has not yet determined the cause of death.
Located at 2301 Van Dyke, Marcus Garvey Academy serves students in grades pre-k to eighth grade and features a curriculum that focuses on cultural awareness, global learning and community service.