Guess who also returned to school this fall? HEAD LICE! Once again parents, we need your help. On a daily basis, perhaps as part of a bedtime routine, please make it a practice to check your child’s hair for evidence of their presence. Look for nits — teardrop-shaped white to gray in color dots in the hair, the size of a flea. Nits can easily be mistaken for dandruff or droplets of hairspray, however, they are firmly attached to the hair shaft and cannot be readily moved or removed. Nits are eggs that hatch in a matter of days, thus continuing the cycle of infestation. Persistent scratching of the head, around the ears, or nape of the neck is a common symptom.
Lice Patrol Update
As cold weather approaches, students will be wearing their warm coats and hats to school. They will dutifully hang those coats in their lockers or on the hooks in the hallway. They may even kindly offer their warm hat to a friend whose ears are cold. What to do? Several suggestions come to mind!
- Stay vigilant. Check your child’s head every few days for anything that looks suspicious. If you are not sure what to look for, stop by the nurse office and she will show you how to look for signs of lice.
- If you find lice or nits, treat your child, and follow the protocol for re-treatment. This includes taking care of linens and clothing in your house.
- If you find lice or nits, notify parents of children that your child has been in contact with so they can check their children and treat if necessary. (Wouldn’t you want the parent of a friend to do the same thing for you?)
- If you find lice or nits on your child, please notify your school nurse, as well. We do not share this information with everyone, but it helps to know if we need to be looking even more in a particular classroom for scratching heads. We can also alert the teachers to be on the lookout for any pillows, blankets, or other objects that could result in some transfer.
- Remind your child NOT to share his/ her hat or coat with a friend, no matter how red and cold that friend’s ears are. Of course they also should not share combs or brushes with their friends.
Take a deep breath and relax. In a few years your child will be grown and you will be able to look back on this time and laugh….at least a little bit!
