Lice Police!

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Ugh! I am so tired of teachers and parents freaking out over an occasional case of head lice in our building. This AM I even had a student come in to tell me her classmate is scratching her head and "probably has lice." 2 teachers "cherry picking" the disadvantaged students they want me to check. :no: I don't even feel it should all fall on me. This is a parent/child issue.

I've tried to educate the staff, even sending them the AAP recommendations, but it doesn't seem to matter.

Just venting I guess.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

Completely agree. Hold your ground. Spend your energy on important stuff.

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Specializes in Community Health/School Nursing.

Do you have a nursing supervisor? If so, can he/she send out a district wide letter (as not to single out your school(s)) stating AAP recommendations? I have teachers periodically ask me to do classroom checks and I tell them that I don't have enough time and parents need to be proactive at home....first line of defense.

Hang in there. It is the same at my school and probably every other school also.

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Keep a stiff upper lip. Arm yourself with all the knowledge that you can possibly read, so that when they have a ridiculous question or another dumb comment. You can be ready with up to date evidence based information. Do not let them sway you in any way, or let them think that they are getting to you.

At the last go around I had recently with a bunch of teachers. I was very explicit with them. It is not a school issue, and the kids will go off the teacher's example and how they handle it in the classroom. It is not to be talked about in the classroom. Administrative support is HUGE. While I was having this little pow-wow, she stood right beside me, holding her cell phone to let a teacher that was absent that day to hear the discussion. She also had another teacher up there, with her phone and another teacher (absent) there listening in as well.

Good luck! You can do this!!

a.

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The problem is, we have a no lice/no nit policy from our school physician and the teachers/parents expect that to be strictly enforced. (By me, of course.) I don't have time to check full classes of students or "hand chosen" students frequently. I feel that if we send lice notices home, the parents have a responsibility to follow up.

Thanks for the support. It helps!

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We talked about our current no lice/no nit policy a few months ago at a meeting with just nurses. Seems only one was in favor of making a policy change...yep me! I have had to do class wide checks on several classes this year, complete waste of time!!! I have also been handed a list from a support staffer (young barely out of high school) of kids to check before she will work with them... really?! I have explained the up to date info, deaf ears! Oh how I dread hearing those words from a teacher, "I think ____ has head lice will you check my class", this is usually followed by school wide teacher panic.

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Specializes in School nursing.

Okay, even with a no lice/no nit policy, are there guidelines for the actual checks from the physician? I.e. for an actual reported/diagnosed case? More than a "this student scratched his/her head three whole times today - I think they have lice!" report?

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No, we have no guidelines. That is most likely part of the problem.

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I have also been handed a list from a support staffer (young barely out of high school) of kids to check before she will work with them.

Totally inappropriate and should be dealt with by her supervisor. She is there to work with the kids, period. That's her job. Also it would be a privacy violation for you to tell her if a child does or does not have lice. It's like universal precautions lol! Assume that everyone does and keep your head away from theirs.

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Totally inappropriate and should be dealt with by her supervisor. She is there to work with the kids, period. That's her job. Also it would be a privacy violation for you to tell her if a child does or does not have lice. It's like universal precautions lol! Assume that everyone does and keep your head away from theirs.

Her list was just that HER list, it got "filed" so to speak. I never give anyone info on what goes on in the clinic except parents, unless what I know could cause harm to the student or others then it goes to the principal or nursing supervisor. As far as letting teachers know if a student has head lice, no but on the rare occasion I have to send one home per policy they can figure it out. But I do try to time the checks as close to the end of the day as possible so that it's really not a big deal and they won't miss too much classroom time.

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Wasn't implying that I thought you actually gave her the info...just that it was pretty presumptious of her to expect that you would.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
The problem is, we have a no lice/no nit policy from our school physician...

You have GOT TO BE KIDDING about this!!

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