Rationale:

This school policy is intended to outline roles, responsibilities and expectations of the school community to assist with treating and controlling head lice in a consistent and coordinated manner.

Head lice (pediculosis) are tiny insects that live on the human scalp where they feed and breed. Probably between 2-3% of primary school children are infested at any one time. While they do not carry or transmit disease, they are a cause of head itch and scratching and need to be controlled.

Anyone can catch head lice. Head lice cannot fly, hop or jump. They spread from person to person by head to head contact.

Aims:

  • To respond to reports of head lice effectively.
  • To ensure effective processes for treating head lice are well known and consistently followed.
  • To ensure that parents and guardians are informed about head lice and their treatment.

Implementation:

  • While head lice are not considered an agent for infectious disease, under the current Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2009 they are included on the school exclusion table.
  • Parents have the primary responsibility for the detection and treatment of head lice in their children.
  • The school will assist by offering up-to-date information, by offering a screening process, and by alerting parents of live lice and eggs when detected.
  • Where head lice are detected during a school head lice inspection the following action will be taken by the school:
  1. The student will return to their grade.
  2. The school will notify the parent by phoneand provide the child with a note to take home to inform theirparents that they have head lice.
  3. Parents must have commenced treatment to remove live head lice before their child can return to school.

Role of the Parent

It is important that parents/carers and families attending our school:

  • Understand that their child does not attend school with live head lice (Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2009).
  • Frequently check their children (and other household members) for head lice. Inexpensive hair conditioner and a lice comb on dry hair will help to control head lice in the community. Dry hair examinations alone are of little benefit in the control of head lice.
  • Notify the school if their child is found to have live head lice (Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2009) and advise when treatment has commenced. The school will then send an alert notice home to parents of other children in the particular grade to check for head lice.
  • Use only safe and recommended practices to treat head lice.
  • Ensure children with long hair attend school with hair tied back.(School Uniform Policy)
  • Maintain a sympathetic attitude and avoid stigmatising/blaming families who are experiencing difficulty with control measures.
  • On enrolment accept the terms of the School Head Lice Policy.

Role of the School

To support parents/carers and the broader school community to achieve a consistent, collaborative approach to head lice management the school:

  • Will identify specific staff members to carry out head lice inspections (physical examinations) of students head and hair for the presence of head lice. This is in compliance with parental permission on school enrolment documentation.
  • Will conduct head lice screenings throughout school year
  • Will ensure that any person utilised by the school to undertake ‘head lice inspections’ will adhere to the school policy and the Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2009.
  • Will make sure all children inspected and found to have live head lice will be provided with information regarding head lice treatment and prevention.
  • After treatment of hair a follow-up head lice inspection by a trained staff member will take place prior to a student returning to school.
  • Will send an alert notice home to parents of other children in the particular grade to check for head lice.
  • Will make sure that information relating to the prevention and treatment of head lice appears throughout the year in the school newsletter, particularly at times of heavy infestations.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness and currency of the program by
  • Comparing the prevalence of head lice in PCS students against published documentation for the general community.
  • Seeking feedback from the school community.
  • Regularly reviewing policy and procedure in line with current Department of Education and Training and Department of Human Services Guidelines.

Evaluation:

This policy will be evaluated as part of the school’s three review cycle or as deemed necessary by the Leadership Team.

Ratified by School Council 2014