Tucson School Lice Policy

Head Lice Policy—Tucson and Surrounding areas School head lice policies vary from district to district. Very often neighboring towns have very different policies regarding infested students entry into schools. As you can see below, while Tucson area schools primarily have “no nit” policies in place there is some variation. The Arizona Department of Health Services advocates for a qualified “no nit” policy in schools. The Department of Health states, “No-nit policies are important today in the light of increasing reports of pediculicide treatment failure. However, no-nit policies should be enforced with discretion.”

Tucson – No Nit Policy

Schools in Tucson, Arizona have chosen to interpret this advice in a stricter sense; that is Tucson Arizona schools still maintain a “no nit” policy and generally do not allow students with any signs of lice eggs back into school. The school policy goes on to recommend the use of a chemical shampoo and they say that “in most cases the child should be able to return to school within five days.” First of all, we know that in many cases the chemicals do not work as the lice have mutated and are resistant to the chemicals. This mean the school district is recommending that parents apply often useless and possibly unsafe products to a child’s head. Also suggesting that a child miss 5 days of school for head lice is way overkill. Why wait up to five days to return to school, when LiceDoctors Lice Treatment Service removes the nits so that in almost every case your child can return to school the next day? We suggest that parents in Tucson question this policy.

Flowing Wells and Oro Valley—No Nit Policies

The Flowing Wells and Oro Valley school districts policy is as follows: “Children with head lice will be excluded from school until the hair has been treated and ALL of the eggs (nits) have been removed.”  Like Tucson, the nearby Flowing Wells and Oro Valley school district do not allow students with head lice or nits to remain or return to school until they are clear.

Marana—No Nit Policy but More Lenient

While the Marana Middle School web site states that “Children with head lice will be excluded from school until the hair has been treated and ALL of the eggs (nits) have been removed.”, under the district Health Services page, it states that “it is recommended that children not return to school until lice treatment has been initiated.” This is very different and suggests that the schools will allow children to return to school with nits if the student has had a lice treatment.

Ask Your School To Be Safe About Head Lice Policy

As you can see, policies regarding readmission to school for students who have been found to have lice can not only vary from district to district but may be subjective within a district. As the Arizona Department of Health Services recommends that schools use discretion, it appears that Marana has adopted that policy while Tucson, Flowing Wells, and Oro Valley are more steadfast in their adherence to absolute “no nit” policies.  LiceDoctors recommends that you find out from your school what your district head lice policy is. It is still a very controversial topic, with no easy answers.  Most school districts list their head lice policy on the school website. If you want to be assured of admitting your child to school the next day, call LiceDoctors at 520-549-2209 to learn about our lice treatment protocol. We guarantee our work 100%! Learn more about our Tucson Lice Removal Treatment service now!