How Schools Handle Lice Infestations

Almost every parent with a school-going child has at least once received a phone call from school, informing them that their child has lice.

A lot of schools take a no-nonsense approach to lice infestations in any child.

They generally expect the parent to come pick them up right away, allowing the child to return only once the infestation is taken care of.

Head Lice: A Nuisance

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lice carry no risk of disease. They are not harmful to a child’s health; they are an inconvenience and a somewhat disgusting concept.

Schools have a lot of young children working in close proximity to each other, so it is only natural to expect lice to spread like wildfire.

The policies on how to handle lice infestations among schoolchildren vastly differ from school to school across the country.

Some schools require the child to be sent home immediately, and not allowed to return until they are entirely nit-free. Nits are the miniscule white lice eggs, notoriously difficult to remove due to their positioning close to the scalp. This kind of policy serves to ensure that the lice infestation doesn’t turn into an epidemic.

More Nits, More Problems

Now, more and more schools are adopting a policy where children are not immediately sent home if lice are detected, but can be picked up by their parents at the end of the day.

These schools allow students to return the next day, despite the presence of nits!

The problem is, by adopting this kind of a method, the head lice issue is likely to spiral out of control.

Long term and frequent exposure to lice can lead to many undesirable side effects, such as skin rashes.

If a school isn’t taking the appropriate measures to get an infestation under control, then the constant itching and irritability is also bound to disrupt students’ academic performance.

Ideally, schools should carry out regular screenings for lice, and take appropriate measures to get a handle on the situation. While the methods may seem harsh, inevitably they are to ensure your children can operate to their maximum potential, without the constant distraction of an itchy and sore scalp.

If your kid is of school-going age, one way or another, you’re going to need a reliable lice removal method.

At Urgent Lice Removal’s lice treatment centers, you can get a reliable and organic solution to you or your child’s head lice problem. Our clinics are located in two locations—in New York, and a number of regions in Florida, including Tampa, Orlando, and Winter Park.