In a phone message to Park families Jan. 11, Superintendent Rob Metz said an individual in the high school had contagious tuberculosis last fall.

“The Hennepin County Department of Health has informed us that last fall, an individual at the high school was in the building while contagious with active tuberculosis, or TB,” Metz said in the message.

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which usually attacks the lungs, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

A message from Metz on the school district website said the individual with tuberculosis was in school while contagious during September, October and November.

“In late November, the school district was notified by the Hennepin County Department of Health that an individual at the high school had been diagnosed with active Tuberculosis (TB).  By the time we were notified, the individual was receiving medical care and posed no further risk or exposure to the school,” the message said. “However, in September, October and November, before the tuberculosis diagnosis had been determined, the individual was in the school building while contagious.”

Metz’s phone message said some students will be tested.

“The Hennepin County Department of Health will be testing any person who had close contact with this individual. To make things easier for everyone involved, testing will be offered at the high school during the school day,” Metz said.

The message on the website said testing will occur Jan. 30 and 31.

According to the CDC’s website, tuberculosis is spread through the air.

“TB bacteria are spread through the air from one person to another. The TB bacteria are put into the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, speaks, or sings,” the website says. “People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.”

The message also said all Park families will receive informational letters. Metz also said families should go to slpschools.org for more information.

“Today, we mailed letters to all high school families with detailed information about this situation. Your letter will indicate if your student will need testing and provide subsequent instructions. Please watch for your letter to arrive in the mail this week,” Metz said.

The CDC’s website says people with the disease are most likely to spread it to people they are regularly near.

“People with TB disease are most likely to spread it to people they spend time with every day. This includes family members, friends, and coworkers or schoolmates,” the website says.

Metz’s phone message said the district is in communication with the county.

“Although this is a unique situation for St. Louis Park Public Schools, Hennepin County has dealt with similar situations on numerous occasions. We continue to work closely with them to support our students and staff members,” Metz said.

The website message said the county asked the district to wait to inform families until they had gathered information.

“The Tuberculosis experts at the Hennepin County Department of Health asked us to wait to communicate this information and arrange for the testing until they could determine who needed to be tested,” the message said. “In addition, they informed us that it takes several months for a new case of Tuberculosis to become identifiable by their testing.”

Echo will continue its coverage of this situation.