Chicago School Lice Policy

Breakdown of Chicago and Suburbs

The lice policy for the Chicago Public Schools is in accordance with the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses and as such allows for children who still have nits, but have been treated, to return to school. Children with live lice will not be admitted to school. The policy states that “confirmed cases of head lice should be excluded from school until the day after the first treatment…Parent notification of potential lice exposure in the school setting shall be done per written information on an as-needed basis.” The district does not maintain a “no nit” policy.

Lake Zurich Community Unit School District Lice Policy

The policy stipulated by Lake Zurich Community Unit School District, which includes Lake Zurich, Hawthorn Woods, and Kildeer, states that “All students with head lice will be excluded from school until live lice are eradicated following the prescribed treatment. Siblings of the infested child are checked by the health personnel. To be readmitted to school, the school nurse will recheck the student and the Head Lice Checklist must be signed by parent verifying that treatment was done.”

Wilmette School District Lice Policy

The Wilmette School District “allows children with lice to continue attending class as long as they are being treated.” The policy is consistent with the policies of the aforementioned districts. Winnetka School District policy is more conservative than other areas.

Winnetka School District #36 Lice Policy

The Winnetka School District #36 requires that students are “nit free” on returning to school. The policy tells parents, “When you feel you have gotten all of the nits and or lice out of your child’s head, go see your child’s school nurse. Your school nurse will exam your child’s head, and hopefully your child will return to his or her classroom. Once your child has been free of lice or nits for 24 hours this becomes day #1. You will need to continue to inspect your child’s head for 14 more days. The school nurse will also do spot checks of your child’s head over this 14-day watch period. This observation must be done to insure that the lice do not re-infest your environment.” Check Your Chicago Area Schools Head Lice Policy

Evanston/Skokie School District 65 More Lenient

Evanston/Skokie School District 65 policy is more lenient than other areas. Unlike many other school systems, Evanston/Skokie District 65 allows children found to have head lice to “continue attending class if school health clerks are reasonably sure that they are being treated at home with special shampoo or other methods to kill the lice.”

Dissent Among Parents at Evanston/Skokie

There is some dissent among parents, some of whom maintain, that the policy--which is lenient compared with many other school systems'--increases the risk of lice being transferred to other students. Neighboring school systems, including Skokie School District 68, Wilmette School District 39 and Glenview School District 34, require youngsters to be lice-free before they can return to school. Each school district has its own policy so to be sure of your district’s policy it is important to call you school.

Do You Need help Checking For Lice?

Our Chicago based lice treatment service can help you through this process in the privacy of your own home. Call 312-765-7266 for help now!