Head Lice and the No Nit
School Policy
 There are many public
schools that have very strict “no nit” policies when it
comes to dealing with head lice. Though it may seem
extremely unfair that your child is sent home a second time,
even after you have treated them for head lice, the policy
is aimed an eliminated the spreading of lice to other
children.
Many school officials,
including school nurses may lack the expertise necessary to
determine if nits are active or inactive, therefore if they
spot nits in a child’s hair they send them home until all
the nits have been removed. This is why it is so important
that parents use meticulous care during the nit removal
phase after head lice treatment.
There is some controversy
over the “no nit policy” implemented at schools. Excluding
children based on nits in the hair that may not even be a
live infestation can actually have lasting emotional
problems for that child. On the other hand, it is reassuring
for the parents of other children, that a child that is
infested with head lice won’t be allowed back in school to
spread it to others.
Despite the fact that there is some opposition to the “no
nit school policies” there are some advantages to it.
For communities to actively
control head lice infestations, there has to be a universal
protocol when dealing with it. This is one way to help
prevent head lice from becoming epidemic in school or
daycare settings.
With the “no nit “ head
lice policies, those who are responsible for checking to
ensure a child is free from head lice will not have to guess
if the nits represent a new infestation, they simply don’t
allow the child back in school.
Though it is true that a
child who is isolated due to a head lice infestation may
have some emotional problems due to the isolation, the
problems that may be posed because of ridicule by classmates
and friends could be much worse.
All this is not to mention
that most healthcare specialists believe that the number one
cause of a re-infestation is failure to remove nits from the
hair. Nit removal is very inconvenient, but necessary. Not
only does combing the hair with a nit removal comb ensure
that head lice and their eggs are removed, failure to do
this can result in having to repeat the treatment several
times, multiplying the inconvenience of treating head lice.
If you're interested in
more articles about head lice, click here -
Articles.
Enjoy!
I wish you all the best on your
head lice adventure!
Best wishes,
Thomas T :)
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