Teachers and head lice

[BeckyESRN]

I was not at the teachers meeting today and I guess they decided to complain to the principal about my handling of head lice. Our evidence based policy is "no exclusion". It's been this way for 3 years. Our superintendent loves this policy because kids need to be in school!

I check anyone who is itching, call the parents, discuss treatment, recheck the next day and in 10 days. If their recheck has no live buggers and no eggs close to the scalp, I'm done.

What are your policies? What do you do for lice? And how do your teachers feel about it?

At least the principal-he's been here a month- sent them the policy and said he's on board with it 100%!

[OldDude]

You're policy is spot on. I know there are a lot of people who are teachers, or people who are near to teachers, who read this forum so I'll say in advance, to them, you know what I'm going to say next is true - regardless if you want to represent to others you are a champion of concern for "other" students. The biggest concern of teachers regarding head lice is that they are worried about getting head lice themselves. So my response to them, as I've mentioned before, is "Yes you have a problem with the policy. Get over it." Good job, don't back off. Worry about real health concerns.

[peacockblue]

We have a strict no nit policy. Drives me crazy. I have presented current practice recommendations to admin and it has been handed right back to me without them even reading it. Sigh. Maybe someday....

[AdobeRN]

Our policy is similar- any live lice student is sent home for treatment but nits are ok. I recheck the next day and then again in a week. Classroom checks/note home are done only if 2+ cases are found. My teachers & a lot of parents hate this policy but I stick to it - otherwise I would be wasting all my time doing useless head checks. I have the full support of the principal. If I have teachers or parents that give me grief I just point out the policy, let them know I am following the policy and then give them the contact info for admin. I used to get all worked about it but now I don't let it bother me.

I hate dealing with lice.

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

Lice are an issue in my school.. and of course, I have the parents that are ON TOP OF IT and those who don't do anything. The ones on top of it blame the school (as if the kids couldn't possibly be getting it from friends or neighbors) and the ones that don't do anything burry their heads and hope they'll just go away. Then there are the teachers, who will swear to you they see them jumping from one kid into the next kids hair, which I tell them is impossible, but what do I know? I'm just the one responsible for sending them home and educating the parents. Oh, and I've been assigned the 'comb her hair out every morning so she doesn't miss anymore school' by admin for one student a few weeks back. Never again!

[huffmannurse]

To add a little more of what my thoughts are...when a teacher gets on a tirade. I let them go on and on until they get all done. (Because, they think they are really teaching me something and I let them have their "moment") Then, I make sure I have covered the basics. Same old thing- blah, blah, blah. If they are still rambling after that, I say something like- "Do you rub your head directly against a student's head??" Of course, their answer is, "Well, NO, of course not!!" I say "Fine- then you have nothing to worry about." That's when I make sure they take the message away to think ahead about what their kids in the classroom are doing and make sure they aren't allowing them to have close head to head contact. Then I get the, "But...we have movie day when they bring their pillows, whatever...etc. they come up with". I smile, look them in the eye and gently remind them that lice are spread by direct, prolonged head to head contact and there are certain things that are a "must" in the classroom....and then they usually leave me alone about it for awhile.

BOTTOM LINE-- THEY GET THE SAME, GENTLE, MATTER OF SCIENTIFIC FACT ANSWER -- EVERTYIME

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

I say something like- "Do you rub your head directly against a student's head??" Of course, their answer is, "Well, NO, of course not!!" I say "Fine- then you have nothing to worry about."

I wish we didn't have our no-nit policy, but the core foundation of our school is community, close community. Students sit in each others laps at morning meeting, literal head to head activities and lots and lots of hugging. The upside of that is involved parents who are realistic about lice and proactive. We had a well attended meeting before spring break to empower parents to comb weekly and consistently check. Easy in a school with 70 families, a good percentage staff.