Handling a Head Lice Problem in Schools
When a case has been detected at your school, the best course of action is to immediately check every student in the class. Send an informational letter home to notify the parents that a child has lice and give them tips on how to prevent their child from getting lice. Have an age appropriate quick lesson on lice with the students. Informing children of what they can do to prevent themselves from getting lice, and working with parents to check students on a regular basis will empower the school, parents and students to work as a team to limit the head lice crisis.
Head lice is spread 99% of the time through head to head contact and the classroom itself is not the problem. Excessive cleaning, or use of pesticides is both a waste of time and resources for the school. Although head lice will not infest the classroom, regular vacuuming will help calm the fears of parents and faculty.
In the classroom, have individual seating in the book nook area and limit activities that put children in to very close contact. Encourage girls to wear their hair up in buns, braids or ponytails. Do not have hair brushes or hair accessories available to students in the classroom as these can spread head lice. Perform regular head checks after school breaks to ensure all students continue to be lice free.
Students, parents, and faculty should also all understand that lice is no big deal. Lice can affect anyone regardless of hair type, socioeconomic background, and level of cleanliness. Lice can also affect any school regardless of what policies they may have in place, and an outbreak can strike at any time even when everyone is working together to prevent it.
Our motto here at Head Hunters is “Do Not Stop the Life Because of Lice” therefore; do not shut down the school when dealing with a head lice epidemic. Instead be proactive to safeguard against the spread of lice.
If you have any other questions or concerns please feel free to contact Head Hunters at (678)240-0042. Visit our website at headlicespecialist.com or Naturalliceproducts.com to learn more about our head lice or treatment and preventative products.
