More than 50 cases force Prince George's school closure

Princeton Elementary School in Camp Springs will remain closed through Friday after more than 50 students and staff members contracted a flu-like illness. County health and schools officials made the joint decision on Wednesday to halt in-person instruction for the remainder of the week.

The closure aims to allow facilities staff to perform a deep cleaning and sanitization of the building. It also provides time for the infectious period of the illness to run its course. Symptoms reported by those affected include fever, body aches, sore throat, nausea, and vomiting.

Naomi Tomayasu, the county’s deputy health officer, and Shawn Joseph, the schools superintendent, sent a letter to families explaining the move. They described the action as a measure taken out of an abundance of caution to protect the school community. The district plans to implement structured hygiene and health education when students return, including monitored handwashing periods.

This event marks the first time a Maryland school has shut down due to an illness since March 2020. Previous outbreaks have occurred without leading to full closures. In November 2025, hand, foot, and mouth disease spread across state schools. In February 2023, a stomach virus caused hundreds of cases at Stemmer’s Run Middle School.

State health department data shows that Maryland’s rates of influenza and other respiratory illnesses remain low this fall. The current situation at Princeton Elementary stands apart from these broader trends, prompting the specific local response to contain the cluster of cases.