The School Year Is Underway and Already We Are Dealing with the Re-Occurring Problem Of

Head Lice

By Larry Eyre

The school year is underway and already we are dealing with the re-occurring problem of head lice. It is not a BIG problem. It is not an unusual problem - it is just an on-going problem.

I spent quite some time trying to come up with a headline that would grab the reader’s attention, yet not strike fear into the hearts of our parents. The problem with head lice is three fold: 1) they are an unpleasant annoyance; 2) they are difficult to get rid of; and 3) they are very, very contagious.

Nearly every family experiences the frustration of dealing with head lice sometime during the early periods of youth. Most frequently we see it when children begin to have sleep-overs, play little league baseball or softball, or any other activity where children are in close proximity and share personal equipment or clothing. We traditionally start checking for head lice when school starts in the fall. We almost always find some.

Parents can help us deal with the problem in three ways. First, check your own children weekly for head lice. If you notice your son/daughter scratching his/her head frequently, take a minute to look for lice and pupae. The pupae usually appear as clear (sometimes white) attachments at the base of the hair follicle. Normally these will occur individually, but may cluster together on several hair shafts. If you suspect that your son/daughter has head lice we will be happy to check for you.

Treatment can normally be accomplished with over-the-counter medications. It is time-consuming, however, and normally you must treat all members of the family, the bedding, clothing, and anywhere the child frequently lies his/her head (e.g. car seat, sofa, etc.)

The second thing that we ask you to do is to NOTIFY THE SCHOOL! As I mentioned earlier, most families experience an infestation of head lice at some point. It is annoying, disruptive, and can be very costly. If we all work together we can contain the outbreaks and limit the number of families who have to deal with it when we have an outbreak.

Our school district has a great cadre of volunteers, headed up by Carla Earles. When an outbreak is discovered they quickly swing into action to check students, identify potential problems, and guide parents in dealing with the situation. The sooner we are made aware of a potential problem, the sooner our volunteers can work to get it under control.

The third thing that you can do to help is to cooperate. Help us to identify the source of the problem whether it is from your home or a recent encounter with a classmate or another family. Please remember that school personnel are just trying to help to resolve the situation …. please don’t “shoot the messengers!” We know that know one likes dealing with head lice. There is never a convenient time for an outbreak, and the money spent on treatments could always be better used elsewhere. However, blaming the school or yelling at a volunteer accomplishes little. Regardless of where or how the outbreak started, we all need to work cooperatively to deal with it.

Most of our families will not need to deal with this situation this year, but everyone will benefit if we observe the guidelines that I have listed.