Head lice can be a common “pesky” problem, especially amongst school-age children. When a student is found to have head lice at school a letter goes home to the entire class to inform parents/guardians of the findings; the student/s with lice remain anonymous. During the school year, it is a good idea to check your child’s head weekly, or when he or she complains of having an “itchy” scalp. The Texas Department of State Health Services does not require or recommend students be sent home or remain home if they are found to have nits and/or lice. Evidenced-based research has shown that keeping students home for this is not effective in controlling the spread of lice in schools. In fact, they do more harm than good by keeping students out of school for prolonged periods of time.
Some facts about lice: Lice cannot hop, jump, or fly. They move from person to person through close body contact. Live lice need warmth and blood supply to live. When a live bug leaves a person, they cannot survive more than 48 hours. Live lice and nits do not carry diseases. Research has shown that lice are not usually identified until the person has had lice for 3-4 weeks in most cases.
For more information on lice:
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/treatment.html
If you have any questions you may contact the district nurse:
Brooke Dallimore, RN
bdallimore@marionisd.net
830-914-1067