The student and his family are cooperating with officials, it was reported at the meeting.
Officials declined to reveal where the student may have contracted a suspected case of TB or whether or not there were siblings in the household who might be attending other local schools.
However, officials said that if there were siblings, the department procedure would be to test them and isolate and treat those with positive tests.
"It is our goal to make sure there is no further exposure or cases of tuberculosis resulting from this case," said a letter from school Principal Ed Raines and Jody Kind of the Northeast Colorado Health Department.
While there is concern at the school, there appears to be no panic, Raines said: "Attendance hasn't been down."
TB, a lung disease, was once a leading cause of death in the United States, but antibiotics developed in the 1950s and later have made it much more treatable and much rarer.
The disease is more prevalent -- and more serious -- in some other countries. Worldwide, it kills about 2 million a year, Schack said.
Tuesday's tests will be conducted in the school's Glenn Miller Auditorium and take about 10 minutes. Students will be asked about medical history (people with existing immune system problems are more susceptible to TB) and will receive a needle prick in the arm.
Health workers will be back in the school Friday to check test results; those with positive reactions will undergo further testing and possibly treatment with antibiotics. Those with negative results will be tested again in January as a safeguard.
A positive skin test, officials emphasized, does not necessarily mean that a person has an active case of TB.
Some people have positive tests and go a lifetime without developing the disease, they said.
Parents have been asked to fill out permission slips to have their children tested but have the option to refuse. The permission slips went out with letters sent Friday explaining the situation. School and health officials met with The Times that day.
Parents whose children are not on the list to be tested but want to have them tested may do so.
"We can help you with the peace of mind," said Tammy Hort, nurse epidemiologist at the Northeast Colorado Health Department.
Those with questions are invited to call Hort at 522-3741, ext. 241.
Officials emphasized that there is no immediate health threat. The incubation period for TB is 2-12 weeks.
"TB is not the easiest thing in the world to catch," said Hort. Usually, prolonged close exposure is required, although the germs are carried through the air by people with the disease coughing, speaking or singing.
Schack said that as a child she has had relatives in TB care and that since going into nursing she has had repeated exposure to TB patients in medical facility and home situations and has not had any problems.
Symptoms include coughing for three or more weeks, bloody sputum, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, no appetite, chills, fever and night sweats.
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