Monday morning madness

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Just what every school nurse wants on a Monday morning, the dreaded call from a parent that they found head lice on their daughter after a sleepover with friends this weekend. They are treating it and let everyone at the sleepover know...

Let the mass hysteria begin in 3...2...1

Who will be worse, the parents or the teachers? We shall see.

Superintendent wants a letter to go home to all parents. Anyone have a good one that's not over the top in scare and horror but educates and asks parents to check their kids regularly? Mine is old and references a no nit policy that I have not seen in writing in our policies in years and indicating I have head checked all kids in the class and will recheck them all next week, so basically 100 years old, long before I was here! I can make up a new one but figured I'd check here first.

I have a feeling it's going to be a long week with lots of phone calls!!!

Specializes in Home Health,Dialysis, MDS, School Nurse.

I've tried to attach our letter. It's signed by both myself and the principal, but I had to cut that off with our letterhead.

DOC071613-07162013015750.pdf

This is mine (and no, I do not agree with the "all clear" policy)

Dear Parent or Guardian:

This letter is to inform you that head lice have been discovered in your child's year group. We ask that you check your child(ren) for head lice every night for the next two weeks.

Head lice are tiny insects that live only on the human head. Lice hatch from eggs, otherwise known as nits. Nit color ranges between white to brown. Nits are typically found around the ears and along the nape of the neck. Nits will hatch after seven days, and once hatched, the nits are known as nymphs and become adults within ten days. Nymphs and adult lice can be found on the head and feed on human blood to live.

Examine your child's head and everyone else in the household for lice and nits. Start examining the head by beginning around the ears and at the nape of the neck and then the rest of the head. If your child does have lice, begin treatment.

If your child develops head lice please inform the school office and follow the treatment advice outlined by your Pediatrician and/or Lice Removal Treatment Center. The student MUST bring an 'all clear note' from the pediatrician or treatment center before returning to school.

Getting rid of head lice is a three-step process. You must kill all the live lice, check for and remove all the nits by combing, do a reasonable job of cleaning the infested person's belongings (i.e. clothes, coats, hats, bedding and towels) and home environment and treat all members of the family at the same time. Educating your child(ren) about how lice are spread from one child to another may prevent infestation. Weekly home head lice checks should be part of routine personal hygiene and are recommended to identify early, easily treatable infestation. Continue to check your child's head and members in the household daily for two weeks after lice treatment. Comb out any eggs that may have been missed.

Please work with our school personnel to help attain a louse-free, education-oriented environment. If you need any additional information, please visit CDC - Lice - Head Lice or contact the school office.

Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.

My favorite as far as myth busting: https://www.pediatricnursing.net/ce/2016/article4005226235.pdf

Mine too - I hand this out to my teachers and the parent of "lice infested" kid. I always have a few teachers that give me more grief about lice than the actually parent of lice kid.

Specializes in kids.

Teachers...hands down!

Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

So if a parent called and reported their child had the bubonic plague would you immediately send parent notices home?

Specializes in School Nursing, Ambulatory Care, etc..

I vote the mass hysteria starts with teachers.

Specializes in School Nursing, Ambulatory Care, etc..
So if a parent called and reported their child had the bubonic plague would you immediately send parent notices home?

Absolutely! Why in the world would I need to verify something like that? If a parent says so - after consulting Dr. Google, of course - then it must be true!

So if a parent called and reported their child had the bubonic plague would you immediately send parent notices home?

Probably. LOL! This decision was not mine to make. I'm just happy we are not sticking with the old no nit policy we had forever!

Why is this always a school problem??? Happened at slumber party (not school sponsored), treated, other parents notified - END OF STORY!!

I wouldn't recommend sending this one home... but it makes for a good laugh!

The letter I would WANT to send home about LICE if I were the school principal | Moms Who Drink And Swear

ETA- NSFW. Read on your work computer at your own risk.

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