Spencer Elementary School in Brighton got a deep cleaning this week after a mumps scare.

Brighton Area Schools was informed Monday evening that a child may have been exposed to an adult who possibly had mumps. As it turns out, the case was deemed negative after further testing conducted by the Livingston County Health Department. Regardless, Spencer Elementary got a thorough cleaning with heavy emphasis and attention to high-touch areas. The district sent an initial, precautionary letter home with students once it was made aware of the possible exposure, and then sent a follow-up letter yesterday, stressing there is no confirmed case of mumps.

Superintendent Greg Gray says the adult had come forward to let them know they had possible exposure to mumps. He tells WHMI the test eventually came back negative, which was great news, so it was a good test run for the district and everything worked out well. Gray says although they initially had to wait for the test results, they wanted to make sure everyone was aware of the situation so after they received the call, they went right into crisis protocol in terms of contacting the county, working with the school nurse to minimize potential spread and sending out communications to parents. Gray said they appreciated everyone’s patience and understanding as they worked through the situation and despite being a false alarm, it allowed them to test systems that are in place. He stressed that their number one goal is always is the health and safety of kids and adults, so even through the test turned out negative; they treated the original incident as if it was something. (JM)