Pediculi (Lice)
For more detailed information, please read the following District Regulation # 203A.
The Regulations of Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health states: “A student may return to school after he/she is judged noninfectious by the school nurse.”
Because there are no criteria in the statement that define the term noninfectious, the District has developed guidelines based on data from the American Academy of Pediatrics and which follow the standard practice of the National Association of School Nurses.
Evaluation of Student
It is the position of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses that the management of pediculosis should not disrupt the educational process. Children found with head lice will be referred to parents/guardians for treatment. The school nurse will advise the parents/guardians regarding appropriate treatment.
Those children who are most likely to have had head-to-head contact with the affected child may be checked for head lice. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “because of the lack of evidence of efficacy, classroom or school-wide screening should be strongly discouraged. Screening for live lice has not been proven to have a significant effect on the incidence of head lice in a school community over time.”
At the elementary level, a letter will be sent home to the parents/guardians of the children in the affected child’s classroom/grade level. Parents/guardians will be encouraged to check all children at home and provide treatment if necessary before returning to school the next day.
Readmission
The student will be readmitted to school after the first treatment has been administered. The parent/guardian may be required to provide proof of treatment (e.g., label of product used).
The school nurse will examine the head of the returning student to check for live lice. Students will not be excluded for the presence of nits, but the nurse may continue to monitor the student for signs of re-infestation.