Chronic Head Lice

Updated:   Published

Hello everyone I hope you are all doing well.

I have a question in regards to a student. They are being sent home often for head lice. The mother states verbally to me when the student has a f/u she has treated the student and I can see they are clear (nits still present, no live lice-able to return per policy). I am strongly leaning to reporting. Do I have enough reasoning to do so? Thanks for your advice I appreciate you all.

Specializes in Community and Public Health, Addictions Nursing.
3 hours ago, Purple036 said:

Yes the kids do tell you everything and they normally tell you the truth. When I ask the student did mom wash your hair or comb it most of the time she says no. The student states mom picked at her head and sent her to school. I gave the parent a comb I received at a conference. Have yall heard of Welcomb? They have a cheaper kit at the dollar general for $10 and it has the same comb in the package along with hair treatment.

Haven't heard of it but just took a peak at the website and it looks pretty decent to me. The only thing I worry about is the conditioner it comes with- mom needs to make sure to not apply the conditioner before or at the same time as the lice treatment (Rid, whatever), because hair product can block the lice treatment from working.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
On 2/4/2020 at 6:58 AM, tining said:

Combing is #1, they should comb every few days. Use conditioner to help with the pulling.

Some cultures don't think lice is such a problem as other cultures - could this be a reason? I had a friend that was a teacher in an Inuit village and everyone had lice - according to her!

we actually recommend combing 3 times a day - to our family when we send them home from psyche

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Medicine, Women's Health,School Nursing.

We have a no live lice policy

I have a student with chronic head lice for the past 2 years (despite LOTS of communication on how to treat lice AND the principal and I even bought the family lice treatments.) I got CPS involved 2 months ago when her sores on her head looked infected. They finally made the 'parent' take her kid to the doctor...problem is kid gets cleared and I'm pretty sure the parent has it but refuses to get herself treated or even let anyone check her so now kid has it again. I'm at my wits end and have started just combing the live lice out of this poor childs hair every day so she can stay in school, she's missed so much, truancy is involved but not getting anywhere, they do not remove kids for this problem (and even if they did I had a social worker from CPS tell me they do not have enough foster parents and can't even remove kids from addicts homes at this point....not sure how true that is but what the heck?!) so yeah lice is not a concern of theirs

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion