District says county testing largely complete after TB exposure at McKevitt School

Ventura County Public Health and district medical staff told the Santa Paula Unified School District board on Aug. 27 that they have completed most of the initial testing for people identified as close contacts to a tuberculosis exposure at McKevitt School.

Dr. Donahue, who led the district response with county public‑health personnel, said teams walked the campus to assess airflow and exposure risk, identified students and staff for testing and staged multiple notification rounds to affected families. "We are doing really well," she said, noting county officials described this investigation as among the smoothest they have run in years and that turnout for on‑site testing was unusually high.

Officials said testing logistics included a broad initial notification followed by targeted messages to identified close contacts. As of the board report, most returned tests were negative, but public‑health guidance calls for a second round of testing in November to ensure no active cases develop because TB can take time to appear on follow‑up screening. District staff said parents and staff have until Sept. 5 to submit outside testing documentation to the district.

Superintendent Weinstein publicly thanked Ventura County Department of Health and the nursing teams for their work with students during testing windows, saying the county nurses "built relationships with the students" and helped reduce fear during sampling.

The district urged continued vigilance and said it will keep the community updated. No sweeping operational changes or school closures were announced; staff said the response followed county protocols for notification, testing and follow‑up.