Following the discovery of at least three active tuberculosis (TB) cases at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, classes at the institution have been abruptly cancelled, NBC Bay Area reports. The school has shifted to an emergency remote learning protocol to prevent further spread of the disease. Archbishop Riordan High School, which sent shockwaves through its community, is now confronting a health crisis that it has been grappling with for over a month.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health has been working closely with the high school to ensure the safety of its students and faculty. Officials have yet to specify whether the TB cases involve students or faculty members. As of now, the health department and school officials have advised the school's roughly 1,150 students to stay at home and complete their assignments remotely while the entire school undergoes required testing and result processing. The SF Examiner reports that, according to school president Tim Reardon, "Students who have not completed testing by that time will not have an online option and will need to use their allotted parent-excused absences until testing is complete."
Classes are set to resume in a hybrid model, beginning February 9, with only those who have tested negative for TB returning to the campus. This temporary adaptation will continue until February 20; afterwards, plans will be reassessed based on the health situation. Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert from UCSF, endorsed this cautious approach in a statement acquired by the SF Examiner, saying, “I think it’s appropriate to take stock and make sure they test everyone.”
Remote learning is not unfamiliar to students, many of whom faced similar disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. A mother of a 10th-grade student at the school expressed her concerns to the SF Examiner, revealing her daughter's anxiety about the potential cancellation of an upcoming out-of-state trip. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, she said, "I won't be surprised if some of those kids are having emotional reactions to this and thinking that this is the beginning of something else." Notably, TB is a treatable condition, and Dr. Chin-Hong emphasized that the overall risk to the population remains relatively low, advising against anyone getting "spooked" by the situation.
