| Shelbyville Central School Corporation |
| Bylaws & Policies |
5325 - HEAD LICE
The School Corporation wishes to maintain a healthy environment, especially from the threat of communicable disease.
Head lice are tiny, wingless, gray-brown, hairy, flat insects that live in human hair, generally on the scalp. They are very small (1-2mm. in length). Lice hatch from small eggs, called nits, which attach very firmly with a glue-like substance to the hair shaft. Head lice are commonly referred to as a nuisance condition because they rarely cause any serious medical concern. However, they are highly communicable and can result in secondary infection to the scalp if not properly treated.
Because the schools bring large numbers of children into close contact daily, the transmission of head lice may occur. Head lice cannot be completely eliminated from communities or schools. Control depends upon prompt case finding, proper handling of each case, effective treatment, and education of parents, students and school personnel.
Shelbyville Central Schools have developed specific guidelines for the treatment of head lice and/or nits. These guidelines include parent notification, treatment instructions, and parent responsibilities. Any student who has live head lice will be sent home from school for treatment in accordance with established guidelines.
Guidelines
If a student is reported to have head lice, the school nurse and/or health assistant will do the following:
| A. | The student will be examined to determine if there is an active infestation; live lice. | |
| B. | If the school nurse and/or health assistant determine that there is an active infestation, the student's parent/guardian will be notified and the student will be sent home. | |
| C. | If a case of head lice is confirmed, the school nurse and/or health assistant may conduct a classroom check or will check individual students, as s/he deems necessary. | |
| D. | Siblings of any positive cases will be checked, plus the sibling's class if s/he proves positive and the school nurse and/or health assistant deem it necessary. | |
| E. | If the sibling attends another school, the school nurse and/or health assistant may contact the school nurse of that school. | |
| F. | When a child is sent home, a letter is sent with the child with information about head lice and treatment procedures. When the child returns to school, they must bring back Form #1 from the letter with date of treatment and product used. In 7-10 days, the child should be retreated and Form #2 must be returned with date treated and product used. | |
| G. | It is the responsibility of the parent to make arrangements with the school nurse and/or health assistant for the student to be examined before re-entry into school. The parent must accompany the child to school for this examination so that the school nurse and/or health assistant can check for the presence of live lice, review treatment, and provide any needed instructions or support. | |
| H. | Only one (1) day will be allowed as an excused absence for the purpose of treatment. More time out of school than this will be considered unexcused absences due to parental/guardian non-compliance and will be referred to the principal for follow-up. It is recognized that no child should routinely be excluded from school due to head lice and parent will be encouraged to treat promptly if needed and return the child to school the next day. | |
| I. | Chronic or repeated head lice infestation should be referred to the Director of Health Services for consultation. In the case of repeated head lice infestations, the child may be excluded from school even if the case is not active (live lice) but chronically has nits (eggs). The student will be excluded until effective treatment has been provided and the nits are removed. | |
| J. | Parents should examine all members of the family for head lice and all close contacts should be notified. | |
| K. | The school nurse and/or health assistant will provide educational materials and resources to parents/guardians, students, and school staff regarding head lice infestations, management, and treatment. | |
| L. | An informational bulletin regarding head lice infestation and management may be sent home with each student at the beginning of the school year. |
Adopted 6/8/99
Revised 4/17/07