Health Services

Shelton School District Page 1 of 2

Treatment of Head Lice

Rationale: There is no need for a student to miss school because of head lice or nits.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of School Nurses, and the Centers for Disease Control, all recommend that students with nits or head lice infestations should not be excluded from school. The burden of unnecessary absences far outweighs the risks associated with head lice.

·  Head lice are not dangerous and do not transmit disease.

·  Head lice and nits are very often improperly identified. Hair debris can be mistaken for bugs or nits.

·  Students with live lice likely have had them for a few weeks already. Staying another day in the classroom will not matter.

·  Nits greater than ¼ inch from the scalp are usually already hatched and the casing is empty. Therefore, there is no bug that can be shared with others.

·  Viable nits are glued to the hair shaft and can be shared only when the strand of hair comes off the head.

·  Schools generally are not the source of spread of lice. Head-to-head contact occurs at homes and at sleepovers. It is rare that lice are spread via inanimate

objects.

Procedure:

1.  School employees report suspected cases of head lice to the health room assistant (HRA) or school nurse (SN).

2.  If live lice or nits within ¼ inch from the scalp are found, the parent/guardian will be notified by the end of the day. The student is not sent home early.

3.  The student is advised to avoid head-to-head contact with other students.

4.  Parent/guardian will be provided information about head lice, methods to eliminate infestation, and directions to examine household contacts for lice and nits. Parent/guardian should also notify the parent/guardian of any close friends. At risk are students most likely to have had direct head-to-head contact with the affected student.

5.  Parent/guardian will verify treatment done, and the student will be examined by the HRA or SN upon return to school.

6.  If live lice are still present, the HRA or SN will ask the student and/or the parent/guardian how the head was treated, with what, and whether the hair was combed with a fine-tooth comb. Next treatment steps will be advised.

7.  If the student was indeed treated, but the method did not work, or the student was not treated, the student will stay at school one more day, and the parent/guardian will be notified again of live lice found.

8.  On second notice, the parent/guardian will also be notified that the student may not return to school until there is successful treatment. Prompt treatment is in the best interest of the student and classmates.

9.  Parent/guardian will again verify treatment done, and the student will be examined by the HRA or SN upon return to school.

10.  The student also will be examined by the HRA or SN one week after the first successful treatment. Sometimes viable nits are not killed in the first treatment and hatch during the week after treatment.

11.  If live lice are found, the parent/guardian will be notified by the end of the day. The student is not sent home early.

12.  The procedure for the second treatment is the same as the first.

13.  Students may have only 2 excused absences related to an episode of head lice.

14.  The SN and the Principal retain authority to recommend exclusion from school for a child with repeated infestations.

15.  Staff will manage lice infestations discreetly so that the student is not ostracized, isolated, humiliated, or psychologically traumatized.

16.  Siblings in the school district may be examined for evidence of lice infestation and referred as needed.

17.  Classmates of very young children, in kindergarten or preschool, may be examined for evidence of lice infestation and referred as needed.

18.  If there are several lice cases in the same classroom, the SN or HRA may notify parents/guardians of all students in the affected classroom to encourage them to check their children and to treat, if appropriate.

19.  The school will no longer conduct routine head checks in class. Head lice screening programs have not been proven to have a significant effect over time on the incidence of head lice in the school setting and are not cost-effective. Parents/guardians should be encouraged to check their own children routinely for head lice.

20.  Educational information about lice will be shared with families and staff as needed.

References:

American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Report: Head Lice (2015) Pediatrics, 135(5), http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2015/04/21/peds.2015-0746

National Association of School Nurses Position Statement: pediculosis in the school community (2011). www.nasn.org/Portals/0/positions/2011pspediculosis.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010). Head lice information for schools.

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/index.html

OSPI (2014) Infectious Disease Control Guide, pp 75-78.

Pontius, D. (2014) Demystifying Pediculosis. Pediatric Nursing 40(5), pp. 226-235.

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