Head Lice

If we encounter cases of head lice, it is usually during the first semester of school before the students leave for winter break. If we do discover a case or cases of head lice, we will send a notice home immediately. If a case of lice can be caught early, the problem can be eradicated rather easily. Once a child’s head is fully infected, treatments become more involved and other family members and classmates run a greater risk of becoming infected. If you find that your child has nits (the unhatched lice eggs attached to the lower end of the hair shaft) or lice, you must treat every place and everything with which your child has come in contact…car seats, rugs, bedding, sofas, drapes, etc. All cloth items, including stuffed animals, should be sealed in plastic bags for at least two weeks, OR washed in hot water and dried in the dryer on HIGH for 20 minutes, OR dry-cleaned. 

Recent information indicates that head lice are becoming immune to some of the standard treatments, and the nits have a four-day period during which they are immune to any treatment. Please talk to your doctor or pharmacist about all available options. Manual nit removal and environmental clean-up are just as essential as pharmaceutical treatments in eradicating head lice. 

If lice or nits are found on a child a parent must pick up the child and treat him or her, and the child may not return until the next day. Our policy on treating head lice is as follows: Children must be NIT-FREE before they may go back in the classroom. Upon your child’s return to school after being treated for lice, you must accompany your child into the office and wait until a staff member checks your child’s scalp. If nits are found the child must go home again and may return to class the next day if no nits are found upon the second check by a staff member. If there is a second occurrence, you must accompany your child into the office every day for two weeks and wait until he or she is checked. You also must bring in the bottle from the treatment that you used. Should there be a third occurrence, your child must remain at home for three days for thorough treatment. After the third day, you must follow the second occurrence. If it is discovered that your child does have lice, we will call you to pick up your child immediately.