AURORA, Colo. — It could not have felt like a normal day at Eaglecrest High School on Thursday.
Most students returned to deep-cleaned classrooms after two special needs educators died over the weekend -- one with symptoms of a rare infection.
The Cherry Creek School District said Maggie Schmitt, 24, died over the weekend after showing symptoms consistent with bacterial meningitis. The district canceled classes Wednesday. It deep cleaned classrooms, and the Arapahoe County Health Department performed contact tracing.
"I didn't really know exactly what [the infection] is, but I was in biology class, and my teacher was explaining it to us," said freshman Vinny Rodriguez. "I was just kind of anxious about being there, I guess."
When Vinny's mom, Jenny Rodriguez, found out one teacher had symptoms of the infection, she said she was shocked. "I didn't want it coming home through my family either because I have a baby at home."
Meningitis is an infection of the membranes (meninges) that protect the spinal cord and brain. If infected, the membranes swell and press on the spinal cord or brain. This can cause life-threatening problems. Meningitis symptoms strike suddenly and worsen quickly, the health department said.
Jenny Rodriguez knows better than most how dangerous the infection can be. She said her older brother lost his hearing when he had it as an infant.
"It was a very big impact," she said. "He's still struggling today, just dealing with his life as a hearing-impaired person."
A district spokesperson said it had a "normal attendance rate," but would not give any specific numbers – nor a range of what it counts as "normal."
The Arapahoe County Health Department said Thursday it had finished contact tracing. A spokesperson said it is only investigating one possible case of bacterial meningitis at this time.
The Arapahoe County Coroner's Office said autopsies were performed on both women but their causes of death are pending additional test results.
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