Health officials investigate Auburn school illness outbreak

The King County Health Department is trying to figure out what’s making a large number of students sick at an Auburn elementary school.

Diane Collier, the principal at Alpac Elementary, in the Auburn School District, says 116 kids stayed home Wednesday; another three were sent home. That’s about one-fourth of the school population. Collier is not certain that all of the absent students have the same illness, but most of the sick kids have a fever and cough.

Staff is doing extra cleaning at the school and reminding students to wash their hands. Collier is asking parents to keep their sick kids home until their fever is gone for 24 hours.

A health department spokesman says it seems too early in the season for a flu outbreak, but nothing is being ruled out.