WINTER PARK, Fla. -- A first grade teacher in Orange County has died from bacterial meningitis. Twenty-seven-year-old Tammy Fletcher taught a class of 18 students at Lakemont Elementary in Winter Park.

MENINGITIS Meningitis: What Is It? | FAQS Link: National Meningitis Association SYMPTOMS High fever Headache Stiff neck Nausea/Vomiting Sleepiness Confusion Source: Centers For Disease Control And Prevention

You can imagine how tough this is on the young children in Tammy Fletcher's class. Letters went home with the first-graders on Monday, explaining what happened. The letter makes it very clear that the children are in no danger because Tammy Fletcher did not have a contagious form of bacterial meningitis.

The 27-year-old moved from Indiana this past September, because she wanted to teach so much and there were available jobs here in Florida. Tammy somehow contracted bacterial meningitis. She had been sick before the holidays and her condition got worse. She died suddenly in the hospital Friday night.

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School officials called parents over the weekend, so they could break the difficult news to their children. Counselors were at the school Monday to talk with the first graders in Fletcher's class. The children also wrote a goodbye letter to their teacher and sent pictures.

Tammy Fletcher's family was touched by the gesture. Her relatives say Tammy loved her job.

Counselors are still available for any student or faculty member who may need to talk with someone. Parents have also been told to watch their children's behavior closely.