The best time to talk to school officials about head lice is before there is an outbreak in the schoolālike at the beginning of school yearāwhen no one is in a state of crisis. Schools have been dealing with head lice for decades and most have a procedure for dealing with outbreaks. Find out what your schoolās procedure is in order to be prepared when and if the time comes to use it.
The time will likely come. With 6-12 million cases of head lice estimated to occur each year, odds are that youāll be dealing with the little bugs at your school. Understanding how you can work with school officials can make it easier.
When the time does come, if you find head lice on your child, by all means contact the school nurse or the appropriate school official. You might be embarrassed, but the reality is that the more quickly the school and other parents are informed, the less severe the outbreak will be.
If you are contacted by the school about lice in your childās class, or on your childās head, donāt āshoot the messenger.ā School leaders are doing their jobs. Most of the time they are happy to help you deal with the situation.
Teachers, administrators and school nurses have been dealing with lice throughout their careers. Usually they are a source of calm when parents get hysterical. They know the facts. Head lice have nothing to do with hygiene and cleanliness. They donāt cause any health problems. They will go away. That said, most people donāt want them around and lice have been historically extremely difficult to eradicate.
Many school districts have changed their policies on head lice. In the past a āno nitā policy was commonāmeaning a child must stay home from school until he or she is declared free of live lice and eggs (nits). Strict āno nitsā policies are now opposed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Association of School Nurses. The reason? āThe burden of unnecessary absenteeism to the students, families and communities far outweighs the risks associated with head lice,ā according to the CDC.
Children simply need to be more careful with their hair when dealing with lice. Once you comb out the live lice, there is little risk of spreading lice to others. Nits donāt spread. Long hair should be pulled back. Hats, brushes and clothes that touch hair should not be shared.
We believe in an āhonesty is the best policyā about head lice, especially in schools. There is a tendency for parents to āblame and shameā one another, which really isnāt necessary. No one did anything wrong. Teachers, unfortunately, are often stuck in the middle and thatās not fair. If everyone was honest about when and where they find head lice in their families, everyoneās life would be a little easier.