Santa Barbara County School Lice Policy

Santa Barbara Unified School District

Santa Barbara schools maintain the same lice policy as Oxnard schools, which allows students with active lice to remain in school until the end of the day and then then child must go home to be treated. Children with the nits will be allowed to return to school the next day but not if they have live bugs as shown below: "The Governing Board recognizes that head lice infestations among students require treatment but do not pose a risk of transmitting disease. The Superintendent or designee shall encourage early detection and treatment in a manner that minimizes disruption to the educational program and reduces student absences. The Superintendent or designee may distribute in formation to parents/guardians of preschool and elementary students regarding routine screening, symptoms, accurate diagnosis, and proper treatment of head lice infestations. The Superintendent or designee also may provide related information to school staff.

School employees shall report all suspected cases of head lice to the school nurse or designee as soon as possible. If a student is found with active, adult head lice, he/she shall be allowed to stay in school until the end of the school day. The parent/guardian of any such student shall be given information about the treatment of head lice and encouraged to begin treatment of the student immediately and to check all members of the family. The parent/guardian also shall be informed that the student shall be checked upon return to school the next day and allowed to remain in school if no active head lice are detected.

When Students Return to Santa Barbara Classes

Upon the student's return to school, the school nurse or designee shall check the student for active head lice. If it is determined that the student remains infected with head lice, the school nurse or designee shall contact the student's parent/guardian to discuss treatment. As needed, he/she may provide additional resources and/or referral to the local health department, health care providers, or other agencies.

If a student is found consistently infested with head lice, he/she may be referred to a multidisciplinary team, which may consist of the school nurse, representatives from the local health department and social services, and other appropriate individuals, to determine the best approach for identifying and resolving problems contributing to the student's head lice infestations. When two or more students in any class have been identified as having a head lice infestation, all students in the class shall be examined.

In consultation with the school nurse, the principal shall also send information about head lice home to all parents/guardians of the students in that class. Staff shall maintain the privacy of students identified as having head lice.” More information: www.sbunified.org