School employees shall report all suspected cases of head lice to the school nurse or designee as soon as possible. The nurse or designee shall examine the student and other students who are siblings of the affected student or members of the same household.
If a student is found with active, adult head lice, he/she shall be excluded from attendance. The parent/guardian of an excluded student shall receive information about recommended treatment procedures and sources of further information. The student shall be allowed to return to school the next day and shall be checked by the nurse or designee before returning to class. Once he/she is determined to be free of lice, the student shall be rechecked weekly for up to six weeks.
(cf. 5141.3 - Health Examinations)
(cf. 5141.6 - Student Health and Social Services)
The Superintendent or designee shall send home the notification required by law for excluded students. (Education Code 48213)
(cf. 5112.2 - Exclusions from Attendance)
(cf. 5145.6 - Parental Notifications)
The principal and school nurse shall work with the parents/guardians of any student who has been deemed to be a chronic head lice case in order to help minimize the student's absences from school.
(cf. 5113 - Absences and Excuses)
(cf. 5113.1 - Truancy)
When two or more students in any class have been identified as having a head lice infestation, all students in the class shall be examined. In consultation with the school nurse, the principal may also send information about head lice home to all parents/guardians of the students in that class.
(cf. 5125 - Student Records)
Staff shall maintain the privacy of students identified as having head lice and excluded from attendance.
(cf. 4119.23/4219.23/4319.23 - Unauthorized Release of Confidential/Privileged Information)
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
49451 Physical examinations: parent's refusal to consent
Management Resources:
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS
Lice, Nits, and School Policy, Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, May 2001
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLICATIONS
Guidelines on Head Lice Prevention and Control for School Districts and Child Care Facilities, 2009
CALIFORNIA SCHOOL NURSES ORGANIZATION
Position Statement: Pediculosis Management, 2005
WEB SITES
California Department of Public Health: http://www.cdph.ca.gov
California School Nurses Organization: http://www.scno.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Parasitic Disease Information, Head Lice: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/lice
Policy COLLEGE SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: October 14, 2008 Santa Ynez, California