A catered luncheon designed to show appreciation for teachers at Trailblazer Elementary School may be the reason more than a dozen of them were left feeling queasy.
Douglas County School District officials shut down the Highlands Ranch school early Friday, two days after 11 teachers who attended the buffet experienced vomiting and diarrhea.
By Friday, three more teachers had fallen ill, said Bruce Caughey, district spokesman.
Wednesday’s luncheon was put on by a parent group, he said.
Caughey declined to name the catering company, saying the district wanted to wait until the Tri-County Health Department had completed its investigation.
He acknowledged, however, that it appeared it may be a foodborne illness linked to the luncheon. “Everyone was at that luncheon,” he said.
Tri-County officials say they will look at test results to determine whether the buffet was the cause.
So far, no one has had to go to the hospital, and some teachers have already reported feeling better, he said.
This weekend, a staff team will disinfect all hard surfaces.
Trailblazer Elementary serves 669 students and has 35 teachers. No students have reported being ill, Caughey said.
Concerned parents can contact theschool district at 303-387-9999.
Staff writer Karen Rouse can be reached at 303-820-1684 or krouse@denverpost.com.
