Lice Protocol

On Wednesday, November 29, 2017, the Wainscott Board of Education held a special meeting to hear your concerns about how incidents of head lice are handled in the School House.  We appreciate that many of you were able to join us for this conversation.

The concerns/questions most frequently asked:

What do we do when we learn that a student has head lice?
Parent/guardian is contacted and asked to pick up child and begin treatment immediately.

What do we do if a child cannot be picked up immediately or we are unable to reach a listed contact?
The child remains in class.  Staff discretely monitors students’ proximity to one another.  We make sure that we speak with a parent/guardian to inform them of the situation and to let them know the child needs treatment.

Is the bus company notified when we have an occurrence of head lice?
We checked with the bus company and they are not notified by other districts.

When is the child allowed to return to school?
Most treatments are effective after application and the child can return to school the day after receiving treatment.  We will request that the parent bring the child to school the day after treatment, and that they provide us with the packaging from the treatment that was used.  If they are unable to bring their child to school, we will request that the child bring the packaging to school with them.

Who checks the child before they go back to class?
The school nurse will be notified that there was a case of head lice.  She will be here (based upon her availability) to check the child before returning to class.  If it is still an active case, the parent/guardian will be asked to take the child home for additional treatment.

We will advertise for a substitute Registered Nurse for enhanced availability for any necessary inspections

What will we do if we have a case that is persistent and does not appear to respond to treatment?
We will work with the family to find the appropriate treatment and/or resources needed to address the situation

Emergency contact cards were recently sent home for verification and updating (if needed).  If you have not yet returned your card, please do so as soon as possible.  It is important that we have accurate contact names and numbers.  If you do not return your card, we will contact you directly.
Future communication regarding this issue will be on Wainscott School letterhead and will reflect our procedures.
If you have any questions regarding this communication, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season,

Deborah A. Haab

School Superintendent

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