LICE TIPS

The Indiana State Department of Health states that most school districts no longer have "no nit" lice policies in place. This means that children found to have lice eggs may return to school after treatment. The Department of Health does not endorse any lice policy; the decision of whether to have a "no nit" policy is left up to the individual school districts.

Students with active cases of lice should be allowed to remain in school for the day if it is likely that they will not be in close contact with other students.

In the Dallas area many schools have dropped their “no nit” policies in accordance with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control.

Unlike schools in the Nashville and Memphis area in Tennessee, Knoxville schools take a different approach to the head lice problem that is in accordance with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Tulsa Public School District eliminated its "no nit" policy a few years ago to the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses.

Albany’s Capital Region School Lice Policies The decision on school lice policies in Albany is left to individual school districts.

The Fort Myers area retains a “no nit” policy. Lee County Schools, in which Fort Myers is located, retains a “no nit” policy. Under this policy, students are not allowed to return to school until all nits or lice are removed from the student’s hair. The policy advocates that the checks be done “discreetly so that a student and/or parent is not embarrassed or otherwise victimized.” Lee County’s policy also states that the entire class should be checked when a student has nits or lice.

Department of Education and the Kentucky School Board Association now support recommendations that schools discontinue "no-nits" policies.

The New Jersey Department of Health advocates that children with nits should be allowed to remain in school and that “no nit” policies should be discouraged. Despite this, some districts in New Jersey continue to maintain “no nit” policies in an effort to discourage the spread of head lice within the school.

Head lice do not carry disease, and are not considered a public health threat. Cases of head lice do not need to be reported to the state or county health department.