Schools must remember that most lice are caught in the family and the local community, not in the classroom.
"Nitty Norah" head checks will not help, but the School Nurse can advise and support parents to check their own families.
"Alert" letters should not be sent out. These can cause an "outbreak" of imaginary lice.
Children who may have lice should not be excluded from school; if they do have lice, they will probably have been there for weeks already. The School Nurse can help the parents to make sure whether there really are lice there, and how to get rid of them if they are.
The school should give information on lice for parents and staff including regular detection combing and how to do it. This should be on a regular basis, not just when there is thought to be an "outbreak", and should be done with the School Nurses.
Talks for parents by the School Nurse can be helpful. |