It’s easy to get upset if you discover that your child has head lice. The thought of tiny parasites in your child’s hair can lead to panic and rushed decisions. Would you be less stressed if you knew hat head lice aren’t known to transmit diseases, and itching is the only major health issue they cause?
Anyone can get head lice and it is fairly common in school-aged children. They are not a sign of poor hygiene – they actually prefer clean heads. Lice are a nuisance, and it is aggravating for anyone to go through the process of treating and getting rid of them.
The most common way head lice spreads is by head-to-head contact.This means your child must have been touching heads with someone who has head lice. This may happen during sports, slumber parties or play time in or outside of school. Head lice cannot jump or fly.
A less likely way, but possible, to get head lice is by sharing personal items that touch the head, such as hats, hair brushes and hair accessories (but it is good practice to refrain from sharing these items). Head lice need to have a blood meal every 12 to 24 hours, so they can’t survive away from a human head for longer than a day.
Checking your child once a week will help in early detection and treatment. Lice go through a short lifecycle, however they reproduce quickly and can lay multiple eggs (nits) a day. Their quick reproduction and difficult detection can cause lice to be left unidentified for weeks or months.
It can take up to 2 weeks to get rid of Lice with proper treatment, this is due to the life cycle of Lice.
Because Head lice is common in childhood, families are encouraged to check their students regularly throughout the year. Please notify the school health office if your child has lice.
Beacon Academy follows recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control, Minnesota Department of Health, American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses regarding head lice school practices and keeping students in school. Our goal is to minimize missed learning time due to head lice.
Our school practice includes the following:
* Your child will not be required to leave school due to head lice – A student with an active infestation has likely had an infestation for over one month.
* You will be notified confidentially if your child has head lice. If health staff are unable to reach you by phone, a letter will go home with your child at the end of the school day.
* Your child’s health information will be kept private.
* A general ‘check your student for lice’ letter will go out to each student’s family in the affected classroom.
* Treatment should begin at home, as soon as possible, once you are aware that your child has head lice.
* Your child may return to school after the first treatment application.
* Check everyone in the home if one person in the home has head lice. Your school health office can help by checking siblings at school, upon request
Please note: Mass head lice screenings are not done at school.
If no live crawling insects are seen 3 weeks after the treatment, it’s safe to assume they are gone. Nits would have hatched by that time if they were alive. Nits and their shells may remain in the hair for some time but won’t be viable. many prescription head lice treatments target nits along with adult head lice. If you used a product like this, no combing is necessary unless you can’t wait to get rid of the dead shells.
For Lice Check/Removal Services, see Resources tab below.