Officials warn of tuberculosis exposure at Learn4Life charter school location in Chula Vista

Innovation High School and county officials are warning of possible tuberculosis exposures at the charter school’s Chula Vista learning center this summer.

The county has worked with the school — part of the Learn4Life network of charter schools — to notify people at highest risk of infection and is offering free screenings for some students and staff.

The exposure period was from June 1, 2025, to Sept. 4, 2025, county officials said Tuesday evening. The school’s principal did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment sent after business hours.

Learn4Life schools are non-classroom-based, independent-study charter schools and serve some of the state’s most vulnerable students.

The Chula Vista learning center — one of several that make up the San Diego charter school — enrolls 430 students, but they’re not all typically there at once. During a recent visit, a few dozen were working quietly with teachers, with each other or on their own, and teachers were holding two optional small-group classes.

Tuesday’s TB exposure warning from the county comes after a flurry of other recent warnings of possible tuberculosis exposures in South County schools. Sweetwater Union High School District had two TB notices this year and one last year.

Tuberculosis spreads through inhalation of bacteria in the air when an infected person coughs, speaks, sings or breathes, county officials explained. Anyone with frequent or prolonged indoor exposure to an infected person should be tested, and brief interactions are less likely to lead to infection.

Symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss, said Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan, the county’s public health officer. Most people who become infected don’t get sick immediately.

“Some who become infected with tuberculosis will become ill in the future, sometimes even years later, if their latent TB infection is not treated,” said Thihalolipavan.

It’s especially important for those who are immunocompromised or have symptoms to rule out active TB and discuss preventative treatment.

Treatments are available for active TB. People who test positive but have no symptoms should seek a chest X-ray and consult a medical provider, since treatment in this dormant stage can cure infection and prevent getting sick.