The spread of head lice can be controlled with prompt diagnosis and effective preventative treatment.
Children found to have head lice may attend school once treatment has been initiated and the lice is no longer active (live bugs).
The first thing you can do to prevent the spread of lice is to discuss the subject openly with your family. Lice can affect anyone, regardless of hair length or hygiene. Lice cannot fly or jump, they can only crawl and therefore are usually only spread through head to head contact. Please help by reminding your children not to share hats, hair brushes, helmet, etc. Head lice are tiny insects that live only on peoples scalp and hair. They hatch from small eggs (nits) that are firmly attached to the individual hairs near the scalp and they cannot be easily moved up or down the hair (as can specks of dry scalp/ dandruff). They look like grains of sand and small sesame seeds and can be found anywhere on the head, but most often are located near the ears and back of the head. Lice can survive one to two days away from the scalp and hair.
If you notice your child has an itchy head, check their hair for evidence of lice. If you suspect your child has lice, please notify the school nurse, Lana Schaefer at (508) 693- 0951, ext 281.
For information on how to diagnose or treat head lice, consult your family physician, pharmacist or school nurse for recommendations. There are resources available in the nurse’s office.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.