Pediculosis (Head Lice)

Rationale:
  • Lice do not cause serious health issues.
  • Lice in most cases have been on the child's head for 1 month before being discovered.
  • Prevention of lice transmission should be consistently practiced.
  • The Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) recommend not excluding or allowing children to miss school due to head lice.

Screening:
Assess child at a time when the health room is empty or at the end of the day.  
Children with nits only will be allowed to return to the classroom.
A child with visible live lice will be excluded from school.  
If a child has confirmed live head lice, any siblings or other children living in the home will be assess.
Entire classrooms and buses will no longer be assessed.  
The excluded child and parent will return to school with a box of pediculocide as confirmation of treatment. 
Child will be rechecked in 7 days.

Remember:

  • Live lice crawl--they do not jump or fly
  • Lice cannot survive off the head. They usually die in 1-2 days. Nits off the hair shaft die within hours.
  • Tactfully contact the parents and answer any questions.
  • A home, room or school can not be chemically treated for lice.
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