Brooklyn School Staffer Has Tuberculosis

NEW YORK (AP) -- Students at a Brooklyn elementary school who may have come in contact with a staff member diagnosed with tuberculosis are being tested for the bacterial infection.

Health department spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti said Wednesday that the children at P.S. 25 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood are being offered free transportation to a medical clinic. They are being seen by a doctor, given a TB blood test, a chest X-ray and, if needed, medication.

The Department of Education said the students are being tested as a precautionary measure.

The DOE says the staff member diagnosed with TB earlier this month is a teacher's aide. Parents were notified last week.

DOE spokeswoman Margie Feinberg says the aide is receiving treatment and is recuperating at home.