In March 2015, Prairie Ridge Elementary School students ill with vomiting and diarrhea following a March 2 field trip to the School of Economics in Blue Springs, Missouri. The third grade class that participated in the field trip, attended a "Mini-Town" simulation where they learned about entrepreneurship by operating their own "businesses" producing and selling goods and services.

There were a total of 86 students and 24 parent chaperones who attended the field trip. The
response rate for the survey was 75%. There were 38 persons who reported illness and 35 that
met the case definition, 30 children (85.7%) and 5 parent chaperones (14.3%). One person was hospitalized. No one died. One vomitus sample obtained from a student was positive for norovirus genogroup I.

A non-matched case control study was conducted. The only food item that was significantly associated with illness was the popcorn. Of the 43 attendees who reported eating popcorn 28 (65%) became ill. No other food items were significantly associated with risk of illness.

The facility was inspected on March 4 by Jackson County Missouri Environmental Health. The School of Economics was not a licensed food establishment. Subsequent inspection of the facility revealed inadequate hand washing facilities and no enforcement of hand hygiene during food preparation, both of which likely contributed to the outbreak.