Lice Management Procedures
Educating staff, parents/guardians and students is one of the most powerful tools in controlling head lice outbreaks. Regular monitoring by parents is the best way to detect and treat early infestations, thus preventing their spread to others.
The evaluation and treatment procedures, outlined below, are based upon the guidelines from the Center for Disease Control, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The purpose of these procedures is to maintain a district-wide systematic response for school personnel and for educating and assisting parents to:
- Manage head lice
- Provide information regarding prevention and treatment
- Minimize school absenteeism
Indicators of possible head lice:
A student may be suspected of having head lice/nits if the following conditions are present:
- A student complains of a tickling sensation or itching behind the ears, at the back of the neck and on the crown of the head.
- Sores on the head caused by scratching.
- Nits/lice are observed on the hair.
Evaluation:
A student suspected of having head lice will be evaluated using the following procedures:
- Student will be discretely removed from the classroom and sent to the school nurse for evaluation.
- School nurse will inspect the student’s head in a private setting within the health office.
- If it is confirmed that a student has head lice, the parent/guardian will be provided with information about appropriate treatment & referred to confer with their student’s pediatrician.
- With parent permission, the school nurse can inspect other members of the same household attending district schools.
Classroom wide screening is not merited. Please refer to the National Association of School Nurses Position Statement on Head Lice for further details: NASN Position Statement
Treatment/Return to school:
- Parents/guardians must treat their student with an appropriate over the counter or prescription product as recommended by the student's healthcare provider and remove all live lice before bringing the student back to school.
- A student may return to school the day after treatment but must be re-examined by the school nurse. If live lice are found, the student will be sent home for further treatment.
- The student will be re-examined at the discretion of the school nurse.
Links to Resources:
Center for Disease Control, Head Lice