Tag: lice

LICE.

I sent out a blog alert on this itchy topic one year ago…almost to the very day.   We have it in our building….along with strep, the stomach virus, a respiratory virus and influenza.

Head lice is the safest thing to catch of all those listed above…yet it creates more anxiety due to it’s social stigma and common misunderstandings.

If you receive a letter via email or backpack delivery stating that there is head lice in your child’s classroom, please check your ALL of your CHILDREN’S HEADS.  There are directions on how to do this below.  Also, read on….

TRUTHS about head lice:

1. Medical term:  pediculosis capitis
2. Louse = 1;  Lice = more than one.
3. Lice DO NOT JUMP.  They crawl.
4. Lice spread through close contact–hats, combs, brushes, etc.
5. Lice can live 2-3 days off the body.
6. Nit is the name for a louse egg.
7. A louse will lay 6 eggs per day.
8. A nit can live up to 10 days off the body.
9. Lice are killed quickly with treatment.
10. Nits require daily combing and inspection daily for  3 weeks.
11. Lice do not discriminate.  They love scalps of all income levels, culture backgrounds and social economic status.

The ACTION PLAN:

1. DO NOT PANIC.
2. Do not PANIC YOUR CHILD.
3. Check your child’s hair immediately and carefully.  If you find lice, determine a treatment plan by calling your doctor.  Notify the school.  CLEAN all surfaces that your child would come into contact with:  sheets, pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, clothing.   Keep your child home until there is no evidence of lice or nits.  School procedure:  Lice Protocol
4. Even if your child is lice free, please wash ALL winter clothing with hot water and dry in hot dryer.
5. Educate your child to not share hats, scarves, brushes, etc.  Keep hats, mittens, scarves in backpacks at school.
6. Monitor your child for excessive scratching of head.

We have three kind, sensitive and careful school nurses people (Mrs. Reagan and Mrs. Ripley and Mrs. Nurenberg) who will check your child’s head as needed!  Know that if we suspect your child has been exposed to head lice or is showing signs of head lice, we will contact you and check your child privately and in a very dignified way.

Links to videos you may or may not find helpful:

Lice Crawling

Lice Truths

Identification

I want to end with an educational and humorous video on this rather itchy topic.

We have received many questions via email, phone and office visits regarding our unexpected visitors, lice.  In an effort to provide as much information as possible and reduce anxiety about this itchy topic, I would like to share the following:

1. We became aware of the lice outbreak at our school on Wednesday, January 27.
2. If a child is found to have lice (school discovery or parent report), a notification letter is sent home that day with all students in that classroom.On Thursday, January 28, school personnel suspected head lice on another child.  We contacted parents and with their approval checked this child.
3. We then used our investigative skills to identify areas where the lice could spread.  These areas led us to other children that may need to be checked.  All parents were then contacted by phone before we checked their children.

Please know that my primary goals are to focus on facts about head lice and the dignity, respect and honor of the children.  Because head lice creates an intense emotional reaction for parents, children and staff, it is very important that we handle this with sensitivity and normalcy…and a healthy dose of appropriate humor and lightness.

PREVENTION and EDUCATION are key.  On a prior blog post, I shared TRUTHS and TREATMENT details.  I received an email from Amy Steindler of LICE HAPPENS.  She wanted us to also keep in mind the following:

• A live louse can only live about a day off a human head.  They need those blood meals and the temperature and humidity of a human head—they have evolved and adapted for those specific conditions.  We say that any louse found off a head is a dying louse—it’s just a matter of time.
• Lice off a head are unlikely to mate or lay eggs—they can barely get around anywhere except on a head, due to the specialization of their claws.
• Nits (eggs) are unlikely to survive as long as 10 days—even nits that are on a head have very little chance of hatching if they’re more than ½ inch from the scalp.  Nymphs, the newly hatched critters, need to be very close to a scalp, as they need their first blood meal very soon after hatching.

I will keep you updated as we work to get rid of our unexpected visitors!  Thank you for all you are doing to educate your children about prevention practices.

Your friendly principal and Lice Inspector General, Mrs. Reagan

This title will grab the attention of just about every reader out there.  I imagine our blog counter may hit an all time high with this posting!  We do have head lice moving through our building and we need your help.   Before I address the plan of attack, it is critical we have our facts straight.

TRUTHS about head lice:

1. Medical term:  pediculosis capitis
2. Louse = 1;  Lice = more than one.
3. Lice DO NOT JUMP.  They crawl.
4. Lice spread through close contact–hats, combs, brushes, etc.
5. Lice can live 2-3 days off the body.
6. Nit is the name for a louse egg.
7. A louse will lay 6 eggs per day.
8. A nit can live up to 10 days off the body.
9. Lice are killed quickly with treatment.
10. Nits require daily combing and inspection daily for  3 weeks.
11. Lice do not discriminate.  They love scalps of all income levels, culture backgrounds and social economic status.

The ACTION PLAN:

1. DO NOT PANIC.
2. Do not PANIC YOUR CHILD.
3. Check your child’s hair immediately and carefully.  If you find lice, determine a treatment plan by calling your doctor.  Notify the school.  CLEAN all surfaces that your child would come into contact with:  sheets, pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, clothing.   Keep your child home until there is no evidence of lice or nits.  School procedure:  Lice Protocol
4. Even if your child is lice free, please wash ALL winter clothing with hot water and dry in hot dryer.
5. Educate your child to not share hats, scarves, brushes, etc.  Keep hats, mittens, scarves in backpacks at school.
6. Monitor your child for excessive scratching of head.

We have two kind, sensitive and careful school nurses lice inspectors (Mrs. Reagan and Mrs. Ripley) who are training any interested, willing fellow inspectors!  Know that if we suspect your child has been exposed to head lice or is showing signs of head lice, we will check privately and in a very dignified way.

Links to videos you may or may not find helpful:

Lice Crawling

Lice Truths

Identification

I want to end with an educational and humorous video on this rather itchy topic.