School Lice Policies

ARLINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT Schools in Arlington, Virginia have dropped “no nit” policies; they issued the following policy in 2013. Children with head lice are allowed to stay in school. “In August 2013 the School Health Bureau completed a review of the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Association of School Nurses regarding head lice in schools. Updated recommendations and best practices are summarized below. Facts About Head Lice Head lice move by crawling; they cannot hop or fly.

Ellicott City schools have moved away from their “no nit” policy which stated, “If a child is found to have head lice, the parents/guardians will be notified. The child will only be readmitted to the program after the staff determines that the lice treatment has been effective and/or it has been 24 hours since the treatment began. A notice will be posted, along with a communicable disease fact-sheet.” Currently the schools have adopted recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics which state: “Routine checks of all students for lice is not recommended.

This district has dropped its “no nit” policy. Students with lice should be treated and can return to school afterward. Control of Cases: Exclude case from school at the end of the school day. Case may return to class after appropriate treatment has begun. “No nit” policies should be discontinued. Cases should be re-inspected by nurse/staff 7-10 days after treatment has begun. Control of Contacts: No Restrictions. Classroom or school-wide screenings and blanket notification to others of the situation are not recommended.