Managing Head Lice
HEAD LICE can be frustrating and time-consuming for households with school-age children. Per our School Handbook, page 24, we do not exclude students nor implement checks for head lice at school. This policy was put into place after guidance from health professionals and the Illinois State Board of Ed and careful consideration by our administration.
TRACKING AND PREVENTING THE SPREAD - It can be challenging to track where students may be picking up lice. Yes, it can come from a school environment, but often, it originates and spreads from social gatherings and activities outside of school. If you discover your child has head lice, we encourage you to reach out to any individual your child may have had recent close contact with so that they may check for signs of head lice. We also encourage you to report to Mrs. Connolly, at [email protected] or 773-445-7711. That information will be kept confidential and is only shared with select administrators or teachers who have direct contact with the child. When lice are reported to us, we can monitor for a potential outbreak and put extra cleaning and vacuuming measures into place. If there are more than three cases clustered within a grade, we will share a notice with parents/guardians so you can be on the lookout for lice in your home.
Guidance from the CDC on detecting, preventing, and treating head lice can be found here.
Handbook excerpt…
Students will not be excluded from school due to head lice. The Illinois Dept. of Public Health, Center for Disease Control (CDC), and Illinois State Board of Education all support children remaining in school. Head lice can be a time-consuming nuisance to households but are not a health hazard or a sign of poor hygiene, nor are they responsible for spreading any disease. No healthy child should be excluded from or miss school because of head lice. Students diagnosed with head lice during the school day will be discouraged from close direct head contact with others; however, they will not be removed from school. Students can go home at the end of the day, be treated, and return to school following appropriate treatment. The student's parents will be notified that day by phone or email stating that prompt, proper treatment of the condition is in the student's and their classmates' best interest. St. Barnabas School will not host all-class or all-school lice checks on school property. To prevent the spread, St. Barnabas School recommends that parents:
Students will not be excluded from school due to head lice. The Illinois Dept. of Public Health, Center for Disease Control (CDC), and Illinois State Board of Education all support children remaining in school. Head lice can be a time-consuming nuisance to households but are not a health hazard or a sign of poor hygiene, nor are they responsible for spreading any disease. No healthy child should be excluded from or miss school because of head lice. Students diagnosed with head lice during the school day will be discouraged from close direct head contact with others; however, they will not be removed from school. Students can go home at the end of the day, be treated, and return to school following appropriate treatment. The student's parents will be notified that day by phone or email stating that prompt, proper treatment of the condition is in the student's and their classmates' best interest. St. Barnabas School will not host all-class or all-school lice checks on school property. To prevent the spread, St. Barnabas School recommends that parents:
- Check your children periodically for nits. If nits are found, notify your child's close friends and relatives with whom they play or associate.
- Educate and discourage your child from sharing hats, jackets, head-related sports equipment, earphones, etc., as they could carry head lice from one person to another.