Dear Middle School Parents,

We had a recurring problem with head lice at school during the last month of school, primarily in the Middle School. We would like to enlist your assistance in preventing further cases.

In addition to their normal daily cleaning routines, our housekeeping department has thoroughly cleaned all the common areas of the school with special attention to some individual dorm rooms and Middle School areas per the guidelines listed below.

The Health Center performed head checks on all middle school girls, most recently on Monday, Feb. 28, at the beginning of the final week of school. A couple of girls were found to have nits and were treated immediately. It is imperative, however, that hair continue to be checked for nits as they are very easy to miss and hatch in approximately 7-10 days only to start the nuisance cycle all over again.

Please take these precautions:

1.       Check your child’s hair for eggs (also called nits).

2.       If you suspect you child has head lice, ask your health care provider to diagnose the problem and recommend appropriate treatment.

3.       Tell us if your child is diagnosed as having head lice.

4.       If a case of head lice is diagnosed, please do not return your child to school until she has been treated.

Information about head lice

What are they? Head lice are tiny insects that live only on people’s scalp and hair. They hatch from small eggs (nits) that are firmly attached to the individual hairs near the scalp and cannot be easily moved up or down the hair (as can specks of dandruff). They look like grains of sand. Nits may be found throughout the hair but are most often located at the back of the scalp near the neck and behind the ears. The eggs hatch in 6-10 days, with new lice reaching adulthood about 2-3 weeks later. The lice live by biting and sucking blood from the scalp. Lice can survive 1-2 days away from the scalp. Until a person with head lice is treated, they can transmit them to others.

How should you check for head lice? You probably will not see the lice, only the eggs. These are tiny, pearl-grey, oval-shaped specks attached to the hair near the scalp. Look carefully, using a magnifying glass and natural light. Search for nits at the back of the neck, behind the ears, and at the top of the head.

How does a person get head lice? Anyone who has close contact with an infested person or shares personal items can become infested. Lice are spread only by crawling from person to person directly or onto shared personal items such as combs, brushes, head coverings, clothing, bedding, or towels.

What should you do if your child has head lice? If your child does have head lice, everyone in your family should be checked, and anyone with nits should definitely be treated.

To get rid of head lice:

1.       Use a medicine that your health care provider prescribes or recommends. Use any of these products very carefully, and consult a physician before treating children less than two years of age, pregnant or nursing women, or people with extensive cuts or scratches on the head or neck.

2.      After appropriate treatment, removal of nits is a difficult and time-consuming process because nits have such a firm grip on the hair. You can remove them with a special, fine-toothed, nit-removal comb. While removal of nits is not necessary to prevent spread, your school may require it to lessen confusion about whether your child is still infested. It is sometimes hard to tell if nits are alive or dead.

3.       Check for nits daily for the next 10-14 days. Most treatments recommend a re-application of the treatment 7-10 days later.

4.       Clean personal items and surroundings:

• Machine wash all washable and possible infested items in hot water. Dry them in a hot dryer.
• Put non-washable items (furry toys or pillows) in a hot dryer for 20 minutes or dry-clean them.
• Seal items that cannot be washed or dried in a plastic bag for 10 days (any eggs or lice present will die in this time).
• Wash combs and brushes in a shampoo approved to kill lice, or soak in hot water (>120°F) for at least five minutes.
• Thoroughly vacuum rugs, upholstered furniture, and mattresses.
• Do not use insecticide sprays because they can be harmful to people and animals.

When can your child return? If your child has head lice, she can come back as soon as the shampoo has been used, you have removed as many nits as possible from her hair, and you have cleaned or stored personal items. Remember, you must keep checking the hair for new nits for at least two weeks.

Sincerely,

Joan Pajak,                                         Bill Ivey,

Director of Health Care Center        Middle School Dean