Head Lice

Suwannee County School District

Procedure for Pediculosis Captitis (Head Lice)

 

Purpose:  To define the steps that will be taken by Suwannee County School District (SCSD) staff in the event of a suspected case of head lice.

 

Rationale:  While not carriers of communicable diseases, head lice pose a significant nuisance to the affected.  In addition, the SCSD must also act proactively to ensure to the greatest extent possible, the spreading of head lice to other students within the classroom and school setting.

 

Students Suspected of Having Head Lice:

 

  1. Students suspected of having head lice will be referred individually and confidentially to the school nurse for screening.

 

  1. If live lice or nits are discovered on any child screened, the school nurse will contact the parent.  The parent will pick the child up from school and be provided with written information by the nurse for possible treatment options.  If a parent cannot be reached or is not capable of retrieving the child from school, the child will ride the school bus home as a last resort.  All efforts to have the child picked up by a parent or other responsible adult listed and authorized to do so, should be exhausted before bus transportation becomes the last resort.  A child that is not picked up by a parent from the nurse, will remain in class for the remainder of the school day.  A written notice will be provided by the school nurse to the child to be sent home for the parent, informing the parent of the head lice and of the re-entry procedure.

 

Re-entry Procedures:

 

  1. When a child has been detected with head lice and has been sent home, the parent shall return the child to school after having been treated, for a re-check by the school nurse.  The child should not ride the bus to school until brought in for the re-check by the nurse.

 

  1. A student may remain in school following the re-check so long as the child is:
    1. Absent of live bugs
    2. Substantially nit-free

 

Absences:

 

  1. A child that has been sent home with head lice will have the remainder of that school day and the following school day, administratively excused by the school administration as notified by the school nurse. If a child is sent home for head lice on the last day of a school week, no excused absence will be granted for the following school day; only the day in which the child was picked up from school.

 

  1. Only four (4) full days of administratively excused absences will be granted per school year, beyond the partial days attended in which the child was sent home.  All absences for head lice that extend beyond this provision will be counted as unexcused. 

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/treatment.html