FORT MILL, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Public Health has identified a tuberculosis exposure at Pleasant Knoll Middle School in Fort Mill and is working with school officials to determine who may need to be tested, the agency announced Wednesday.
DPH said it is coordinating with school leaders to identify individuals who may have been exposed to the tuberculosis germ and to determine which of them require testing. The agency did not publicly identify the individual with tuberculosis, the date of possible exposure, or whether the case involves a student or staff member.
In an email from the DPH they said, “The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) has identified an exposure to tuberculosis (TB) at Pleasant Knoll Middle School. DPH is working closely with the school to identify those who may have been exposed to the TB germ and need to be tested.
TB can be treated with antibiotics. Additional information, including frequently asked questions, can be found on DPH’s website or the CDC’s website.”
Health officials emphasized that tuberculosis can be treated with antibiotics and that identifying close contacts early is an important step in preventing further spread.
Pleasant Knoll Middle School is located at 2320 Pleasant Road and serves grades six through eight as part of the Fort Mill School District. The school enrolled 916 students during the 2024 to 2025 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that most often affects the lungs and is spread through the air when a person with active TB disease coughs, speaks, or sings. Not everyone exposed to the bacteria becomes sick, and those who develop latent infection do not feel ill and cannot spread the germ to others. Active TB disease can be treated with a course of antibiotics.
DPH directed families seeking additional information, including frequently asked questions about tuberculosis symptoms, testing, and treatment, to the agency’s website. Resources are also available through the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Fort Mill School District has not issued a separate public statement on the matter as of publication.
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