Schools
It's an Unplanned Annual Event: Lice in Schools
How Benicia School District responds to reports of head lice.
A Benicia parent found an unfortunate surprise recently when her child unconsciously scratched just behind his ear in his sleep: head lice. The parent, who asked not to be named, went into action. She quickly got a lice treatment kit, informed the child’s school and the parents of other children with whom they had recently been in contact.
According to the parent, this was the first incident of head lice reported at her son's school this year. But, the parent suspects that there are other cases, based on the number, or lack of, lice treatment kits available at her local store.
It is the policy of the School District not to identify students with health issues publicly, but the District Nurse, Teri Deane said “in school districts or communities head lice have been around for a millennium. The things are pretty hardy, so you're always going to have a percentage of it somewhere.” Deane also said that while head lice are an annual occurrence in the district, the frequency of it varies greatly from year to year. “It varies on whether a parent actually reports a case or not.”
When a report of head lice is made to a school, parents receive an information sheet about treatment and how to get cleared for the child to return to school. If there is more than one case in a class, then information will go home with the children in that particular class about lice in general. According to Deane, information sent home, “does not say anybody’s name, just essentially to be aware that there was head lice in the classroom, and to check your child for signs (of head lice).”
It is District policy for parents to report instances of head lice to the school.
According to the Center for Disease Control there are between six and 12 million reported cases of head lice every year. Head lice is common among school aged children who are more likely to have head to head contact which is how lice spreads. Head lice do not carry any infectious diseases, but they are a nuisance to parents and schools.