Newton School Lice Policies

Re-entry to school will be allowed once student is inspected by school health personnel and children will be permitted back in school even if they have nits, however the nurse will continue to check. If the case is not eliminated the school reserves the right to send the child home i.e. "A no nit policy may be instituted by the school nurse in the case of a persistent infestation or evidence of lack of compliance to this policy. The school nurse will consult with the building principal and nursing supervisor before excluding the student from school."

“PEDICULOSIS - HEAD LICE

Pediculosis is a common problem in school-aged children. Head lice poses no real health risk to the population and is viewed as no more than a nuisance by health care professionals. However, since the condition can be transmitted to others, proper and successful treatment is essential. Our goal is to educate the students and parents on proper identification and elimination of head lice and nits as quickly as possible to minimize interruption of classroom time.

POLICY:

Any student found to have evidence of head lice infestation is to be excluded from school until proper treatment for lice has been completed.

PROCEDURE:

• Any student suspected of having head lice should be sent to the health room for inspection by the school health staff
• If the student has evidence of head lice the following steps will be taken:

Any student suspected of having head lice should be sent to the health room for inspection by the school health staff

If the student has evidence of head lice the following steps will be taken:

1. Siblings will be called to health room for head check

2. Parents/guardians will be contacted to take child/ren home for treatment

3. Information on chemical and non chemical treatment options will be given to the parent/guardian

• Notice will be sent out to the affected classroom/s as soon as possible. Classroom checks are not done for individual cases. As a guideline, 3 active cases in a classroom within a week may be cause for a classroom screening.
• Re-entry to school will be allowed once student is inspected by school health staff
• Parents must tell the school nurse which treatment option was chosen (chemical or non chemical).
• If the student has been treated with a chemical treatment (medicated shampoo), s/he will be allowed to return with nits provided that the parent/guardian continue to remove the nits daily.

Daily inspections will be conducted by school staff to ensure this procedure is being followed. If the student has not used a chemical treatment, all lice and eggs (nits) must be removed before reentry into the classroom.

A no nit policy may be instituted by the school nurse in the case of a persistent infestation or evidence of lack of compliance to this policy. The school nurse will consult with the building principal and nursing supervisor before excluding the student from school.”

Source: City of Newton

If you are in Newton and you find that your child has head lice, call LiceDoctors day or night at 617-517-4197 and we will attend to you at your convenience. There is no need to suffer alone with this problem. We will take the burden off of you and ensure that your child can return to school the next day. That’s a guarantee!