Temple and Belton School Head Lice Policies

Schools in Temple do not enforce strict “no nit” policies and only exclude children from school under extreme cases. They work closely with parents to help clear up cases quickly and effectively.

TEMPLE AREA SCHOOLS

Temple ISD Head Lice Management Procedures

“The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), the Texas Department of State Health (TDSH) and the National Association of Pediatrics recommend that students diagnosed with live head lice do not need to be sent home early from school; they can go home at the end of the day, be treated, and return to class after appropriate treatment has begun. Temple ISD Lice Screening Procedures are based on this recommendation.

Exclusion Protocol

Note: the presences of severe infestations of untreated head lice can be disruptive to the educational setting.

In the rare occasion that a student has either:

1) Chronic head lice infestation

2) Severe head lice infestation; and it is determined that Exclusion needs to be considered, the school administrator and school nurse will consult regarding implementing Exclusion. This measure will only be taken with careful consideration.

A written notification will be provided to the parent and phone contact will be attempted and documented. The district's exclusion protocol is designed to protect the integrity of the school day, and to minimize embarrassment and unnecessary isolation of students with head lice. Students who have evidence of chronic/severe lice may be sent home from school at the discretion of the campus administrator and/or campus nurse so that treatment may begin as quickly as possible. The nurse shall provide the student’s parent/guardian information regarding appropriate treatment and prevention of head lice transmission.

Readmission Criteria: Students who have been excluded from school for lice shall be readmitted to school upon:

1) Examination by the campus nurse prior to readmission to the classroom. Parents need to accompany their child to the clinic prior to readmission and be present during the scalp examination. The nurse will assess for effectiveness of treatment and will readmit the student to the classroom when no signs of live lice are present. Signs of improvement may include absence of live lice and a reduction in the amount of nits present. It may be appropriate to monitor progress of lice management over a period of time; the goal is to support the family in eradication of the lice infestation.

2) Receipt of a statement signed by parent or guardian indicating that the student has been treated for head lice. The document should include the date of treatment, and name of treatment applied.

3) A second statement signed by a parent or guardian indicating that the student has received a second treatment should be submitted to the school nurse within 7-10 days from the initial treatment. The document should include the date and name of treatment applied.”

Source: Temple ISD Head Lice Management

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