Head lice can be a common problem but acording to the American Academy of Pediatrics it should not mean that kids should miss school as there is quick treatment.
Currently schools have the policy that if a child has lice he or she should not visit class until enough time has passed to ensure the lice are dealt with. But the AAP says excessive cleaning is not necessary.
Instead parents should treat the whole family and to wash pillow cases and bristle care items. Naturally you should pay some attention to the stuffed animals as well. The AAP and the Tulsa Health Dept. say lice do not jump from head to head, nor do they fly. All they do is crawl so basically there must be a direct hair to hair contact.
The health dept. says they don’t administer checks or provide letters of release for children wantint to return to class after lice treatment. They also say that lice are not an indication of insufficient or poor living conditions and lice are not found on domestic pets.
Within their policy, TPS does say staff are instructed to give students a two day excused absence if found with lice. But TPS also says using lice sprays on furniture or bedding is “unwarranted and not recommended.”
What this means that treatment for lice can be quick and effective and there is no point in draging it out making children miss classes. Lice are not that scary and shouldn’t be viewed as the end of the world. It is something that most children go through at least once and it can be dealt with with relative ease.
