Sussex County, Warren County, and Hunterdon County School Lice Policy

Sussex County Schools Lice Policies

The Sussex County Health Department states that, "Children should be excluded from school if they are experiencing head scratching and live lice are present. Schools may adopt a nit free policy and parents should refer to school policy regarding the criteria for returning to school." More information: www.sussex.nj.us

Newton Schools- "No Nit" Policy

"Head Lice Infestation - Head lice infestation can occur at any age and each year 6 - 23 million Americans report having contacted head lice. One of the most prevalent misconceptions about head lice is that it occurs only among the poor and unclean. For many years, it was thought that people only received head lice from unclean environments or because of poor hygiene. Everyone is at risk and if it happens in your family, it is not something that should cause embarrassment. The most important thing is to treat the problem immediately and notify your son/daughter school, in particular the school nurse, and everyone else with whom your child has come in close contact. Presently, the chances are better than ever before of bringing this nationwide public health problem under control. More cases of head lice infestation occur than all other communicable childhood diseases combined. The Newton Schools procedure on head lice is as follows:

1. After a case of head lice is reported to the school nurse or detected by the school nurse, the student will be excluded from school until treated and free of nits (eggs).
2. The student must be seen by the school nurse prior to re-admission to school. If you have any questions, please contact the school nurse.
3. A doctor's note may be required for re-admission to school."

More information: newton.nj.schoolwebpages.com

Montague Township Schools

The district has a "no nit" policy for head lice. "Heads will be inspected during the first 3 days of school. If lice and/or nits (eggs) are found, a parent will be called to pick up your child. Head lice hygiene will be discussed. After shampooing hair and removing all nits, your child must be driven to school for a recheck. If nits are still present, you will need to take your child home and continue the nit removal process until all nits are gone." More information: www.montagueschool.orgl

Branchville Schools

"The nurse will conduct regular inspections to check for head lice. If a case of head lice is detected, the nurse will contact parents immediately and advise parents about appropriate treatment and about school regulations upon returning. Please look for a district letter this fall that will provide more information concerning head lice. Importantly, parents need to inform the school nurse immediately if their child has been exposed to head lice. This information will be kept in confidence." More information: click here

Franklin Schools

This district also has a "no nit" policy. Lice and eggs must be removed before returning.

Stillwater Township

Stillwater schools also maintain a "no nit" policy. "Children with head lice will be excluded from school until the hair has been treated and ALL of the eggs (nits) have been removed" More information: newjersey.webschoolpro.com

Vernon Township

The Vernon Township Public Schools also have a "no nit" policy. The procedure on head lice is as follows:

1. "After a case of head lice is reported to the school nurse or detected by the school nurse, the student will be excluded from school until treated and free of nits (eggs).
2. The student identified with head lice will not be allowed on the school bus until cleared by the school nurse.
3. The student must be seen by the school nurse prior to re-admission to school. If you have any questions, please contact the school nurse.
4. A doctor's note may be required for re-admission to school."

More information: www.vtsd.com

Warren County Schools Lice Policies

Allamuchy Township - "No Nit" Policy

"Children with head lice will be excluded from school until the hair has been treated and ALL of the eggs (nits) have been removed." More information: newjersey.webschoolpro.com

Belvidere Schools

Belvedere schools allow students to return to school with a few nits. "Under the School Education Act 1999, a principal may exclude a child with head lice from school until treatment has commenced. The Department of Health recommends exclusion at the end of the school day. The child may return to school when all live head lice have been removed. A few remaining eggs are not a reason for continued exclusion. However, the parent must continue treatment over the following 10 days to ensure that all eggs and hatchlings have been removed." More information: www.district100.com

Blairstown Township Schools

"Children with head lice will be excluded from school until the hair has been treated and ALL of the eggs (nits) have been removed." More information: newjersey.webschoolpro.com

Oxford Township Schools

"When lice are detected in school, the child will be excluded from school until the condition has been treated. All students identified as having lice by the school or parents, must be rechecked by the school nurse prior to re-entering school..." More information: www.oxfordcentral.org

Hunterdon County School Lice Policies

Flemington Schools

Children with nits are permitted to go to school. "The Board of Education recognizes the need to maintain a healthful learning environment for all children in the school district. One way to maintain this healthful learning environment is to manage pediculosis, a condition of a person having head lice. The Board recognizes parents have the primary responsibility for the detection and treatment of head lice and the school staff members will work in a cooperative and collaborative manner to assist all families in managing pediculosis. Each school in the district will send home to parents in the beginning of the school year an overview of the district’s Management of Pediculosis Policy. In addition, each school will provide the parent an opportunity to inform the school nurse if they do not want their child’s scalp checked by the school nurse if another student in their child’s class or on their team has active head lice. The school nurse will inform the parent their child’s classmate and/or teammate has active head lice, but will not perform a head check of a student if the parent informs the school nurse they do not want their child’s scalp checked by the school nurse. A student who is found to have active head lice will not be permitted to attend school until there are no active lice in the student’s hair and until all live head lice are removed as confirmed by an examination by the school nurse. The presence of nits, the eggs of lice, alone will not prohibit a child from attending school. The presence of active head lice in the student population will be determined and investigated as follows:

1. Grades Kindergarten through Four – The school nurse will perform head checks of all students in a classroom where there are three or more active head lice cases in the same classroom within a two week period.
2. Grades Five through Eight – The school nurse will perform head checks of all students in a classroom or on a specific team where there are three or more active head lice cases in the same classroom or ten or more active head lice cases in the same team within a two week period.
3. Grades Kindergarten through Eight - When a case of active head lice has been identified by the school nurse, the school nurse shall perform a head check of any of the infested student’s siblings in the school. If a sibling(s) attends a different school in the district, the school nurse in the sibling’s school will be notified and the school nurse will conduct a head check of the sibling(s). In addition, anytime the school nurse has identified active head lice, the school nurse will conduct a head check of other students in the school who are most likely to have had head-to- head contact with the infested child. These other students to be checked shall be identified by the school nurse in consultation with the school administration.
4. If the school nurse determines a student has active head lice, the parent shall be notified by the school nurse as soon as reasonably possible, but not later than the end of the school day. The parent will be provided a copy of this Policy and the district’s Management of Pediculosis Information Packet. The school nurse will advise the parent that prompt treatment of head lice is in the best interest of their child. The school nurse will determine to send the child home or have the child remain at school for the remainder of the school day based on the comfort of the child, the degree of the infestation, and the likelihood of the spread of head lice to other students. If it is determined by the school nurse that the student may remain in school for the remainder of the school day and if the child goes to an aftercare program, the aftercare facility’s Pediculosis Policy should be considered.
5. A student excluded from school for pediculosis shall be re-admitted only upon the examination and approval of the school nurse. The examination for re-admittance to school by the school nurse should be, but is not required to be, in the presence of the student’s parent. The student will be re-admitted to school only when there is no evidence of active head lice. The student will be re-admitted to school with nits if evidence is provided to the school nurse that the student received treatment and/or re-treatment, as appropriate.
6. All school staff members will maintain a sympathetic attitude and will not stigmatize and/or blame families who experience difficulty with control measures. All school staff members will act responsibly and respectfully when dealing with members of the school and broader community regarding issues of head lice. Each school in the district will educate and encourage children and parents to learn about head lice in an attempt to remove any stigma or to prevent any harassment, intimidation, and bullying associated with this issue. Any instances of harassment, intimidation, and bullying shall be reported and investigated in accordance with the provisions of the district’s Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying Policy.
7. Cases of active head lice will be recorded by the school nurse in each school for the purpose of tracking incident rates and mandatory reporting of outbreaks will be done according to the New Jersey Department of Health criteria for reporting outbreaks.
8. Introduced: April 29, 2014 Adopted: May 19, 2014"

More information: www.frsd.k12.nj.us

Bethlehem Township Schools

Bethlehem Schools have a relatively lenient head lice policy. "Children are allowed back to school after treatment. Children are not to be denied admission because of nits. Ask the school nurse to check your child’s close friends and playmates, children who your child spends a great deal of physical time with. This means you will have to share names. This is not a time to find someone to blame. Check your other children and yourself as well. Odds are you and your other children do not have lice but look anyway.

• Vacuum your home especially the areas your child plays in. Wash his or her bedding and put the stuffed animals in the dryer on hot if possible. These actions are precautionary but may help. It is not necessary or advised to spray various lice sprays found in stores.
• Remove the nits (lice eggs)from your child’s hair. Instructions will be included in the lice shampoo. This helps you know if you eliminated the problem.
• Send your child to school. There is no reason for any child to miss school for lice."

More information: www.beth.k12.pa.us

Delaware Township- "No Nit" Policy

"Children with head lice will be excluded from school until the hair has been treated and ALL of the eggs (nits) have been removed." More information: newjersey.webschoolpro.com