Dear CMS North Community, The Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services informed us today (March 29, 2019), that an 8th grade Coppell Middle School North student has been diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB) disease and currently is receiving treatment. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, TB is caused by a bacteria that usually attacks the lungs but can also attack other parts of the body. We are in full cooperation with the Dallas County health department, which has asked us to share the attached letter with our North community. Dallas County health officials have told us the most important thing to remember is that TB is a disease that is hard to spread to others. Close, direct, and continuous contact over hours is generally necessary for transmission of the disease to another person. The health and welfare of our students and staff are important to Coppell ISD. We are working with the Dallas County health officials and have determined which students and staff may have been in close, direct, and continuous contact with this student and, therefore, may have possibly have been exposed to TB. Only the parents and guardians of these few identified students, as well as certain staff members, will receive a separate notification from CMS North about free TB testing through the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services. If you are not notified by CMS North and Dallas County about testing your child for TB, this means that he or she was not in close, direct, and continuous contact with the affected student and, therefore, is not at risk for TB. More information about TB can be found at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at www.cdc.gov/tb/ and via the Texas Department of State Health Services site at www.dshs.texas.gov/idcu/disease/tb/. Knowing that CMS North has a caring and engaged parent community, we understand you may wish to know more about this student and this case. Unfortunately, federal medical (HIPPA) and student privacy (FERPA) laws limit what we can say. If you have questions about your child’s health, I encourage you to contact your pediatrician directly. Otherwise, please contact me or one of our Assistant Principals with any other questions about this situation. As always, we appreciate your support of our school, students and staff. Sincerely, Dr. Greg Axelson Principal