LICE TIPS

In 2013, Austin Schools Department of Comprehensive Health Services updated its school lice policy based on on recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The schools allow students to attend with nits and allow students identified with live lice to remain in school until the end of the school day in an effort to reduce school absenteeism.

Old Bridge schools send home an information packet on how to deal with head lice in order to educate parents. If a child in the class is determined to have lice, then a letter is is sent home to the parents of the other children.

The Erie county department of health has on its web site a description of head lice and a simple, general statement that a child may return to school following treatment. It is up to each school district to determine its own head lice policy.

Each district in Essex County is responsible for devising its own school lice policy. Some districts retain "no nit" policies in which students with eggs in their hair may not return to school until all of the nits are removed. Many other districts, in keeping with recommendations from key medical associations, have modified their school head lice policies and now allow students with nits to enter school.

Many schools in the Charlottesville area have dropped their “no nit” policies and now allow students to attend school even if they have nits.

Each school district in North Carolina is responsible for establishing its own head lice policy. Some districts maintain "no nit" policies which prevent students from entering school if they have any lice eggs remaining in their hair. Other schools are more lenient and allow students with some live lice to stay in school.

CBS News reported today that, “A new study finds that lice in at least 25 states have developed resistance to an ingredient found in over-the-counter remedies that are widely recommended by doctors and school officials. The research is being presented Tuesday at a meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).” The article goes on to say that, “Head lice are a giant nuisance -- as many as 12 million American school children between the ages of 3 and 11 get them each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Oftentimes clients ask us, how did you decide to be a lice technician or more pointedly, why would you ever want to be a lice picker? Each of us at LiceDoctors has our own path that led us to this position but we all have one thing in common: we like helping people by solving a problem that they have. We know that we have the resources and the tools to accomplish this task and over and over again, we see that our lice removal treatment works. Families are so relieved to see us, often giving us very warm greetings.

Despite the fact that several school districts across the country are moving or have moved away from “no nit” lice policies, New Orleans schools all retain their “no nit” policies.

The Department of Health recommends that schools allow students with nits to stay in school as long as there are no live lice present in the hair.