Lice Knowing You wants to help you protect your children against head lice in schools with our organic lice prevention spray and regular head lice checks. Remember, once a week take a peek! Proper head lice checks are of the utmost importance in this time of changing policies regarding lice in Washington schools. A recent article in the SnoValley Star looks at how schools are adjusting.
School districts in northwestern Washington considering scratching their no-nit policies and letting children with lice stay in class have many people running the gamut from upset to just plain grossed out.
A closer look at how schools in the Valley handle cases of pediculosis shows that school district policy is more no-nit than go-nits. The district allows school administrators the choice of keeping a child out of class until his or her lice problem is resolved. The policy, adopted in March 2009, states that the student may be excluded if a school nurse determines there’s an infestation.
However, the emphasis is on controlling and preventing lice rather than on immediately excluding a student. Once a student returns, he or she must submit to a mandatory lice check. A building nurse may still implement a no-nit policy if the lice screening reveals an increase in nits — lice eggs — or lice, or if a student’s hair has remained neglected or if a student is not a first-timer.
In Everett, the district allowing children with nits in classrooms has parents in a snit. The district defended its decision. “The advantage of not sending the child home is that the school can monitor and make sure that stuff is being done at home,” said Mary Waggoner, director of communication for the Everett School District.
Waggoner cited studies from the Harvard School of Public Health, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses, saying each entity has stated it’s not necessary to exclude students to control head lice.
Lice Knowing You believes strongly in a no nit policy. These guidelines put out by the AAP gives parents the green light to send their kids to school with head lice. This is unfortunate as there are many people out there, our clients included, who work very hard to deal with their head lice issues appropriately and effectively. Obviously the AAP has never dealt with parents trying to rid their child of lice. It is very stressful and financially and mentally taxing. Please do not send your children to school with head lice!
Prepare yourself for the fight against lice this school year with our organic lice prevention spray and regular head lice checks. Know the facts so that you don’t waste your time or money getting rid of lice using ineffective methods. Visit our Lice Treatment Salon in Mercer Island, contact us for in-home lice removal in Washington or come visit our new lice removal salon in Federal Way.
With the AAP’s final decision on allowing children with nits in School parents have only one choice left that they must act on quickly–lice prevention. Unforunately we cannot control what the AAP decides or what our Schools decide on the “No Nit” policy but as parents we have every right to do what we can to help prevent our children from coming home with lice. This is important even more so now that Children with nits can stay in School. If they have nits most likely they have live lice or nymphs as well.
Working together in educating parents is key to lice prevention…we have no other choice. Lice will be around until we are no longer around.