Here's some advice from our school nurse, Eileen Pierce, that is posted =
on our website and intended to help out parents. She is outstanding and =
would be willing to talk should you wish to get some additional ideas.
Essentially, she checks any child who complains of itching and offers to =
de-nit--daily if necessary. She also tries to see every Lower School =
child the first couple of weeks of school to check for lice.
Dena Greene
Holton-Arms School
The Holton-Arms =
School =20
=20
Mrs. Pierce's Common Sense about Treating Lice
Or "Everything you never wanted to know about lice, but know =
need to know...)_
=20
Myths shattered/Things to Know:
1. Do not waste time and energy on vacuuming, storing stuffed animal, =
doing daily laundry, boiling hairbrushes, etc. Lice want to be near a =
scalp for heat. While they can live elsewhere for awhile, nearly all =
will be on a person.
2. DO keep separate hairbrushes for each family member-color coding them =
is a good simple idea.
2. DO NOT TREAT ALL your children because one child is =20
infested-MINIMIZE exposure to chemical pyrethrins and
permethrins. Treat ONLY if you see (or I see) a live louse.
3. "Live" nits vs. "Dead" nits. Where are they on the hair shaft?=20
Does nit color matter? The color and size may vary, and generally, =
nits close to the scalp are "new"-so finding them there suggests there =
is a live louse (or more) on the head. In general, the further down the =
hair shaft the nit is cemented on, the older it is.
4. Do not confuse dandruff (or residue from hair gels, mousse,=20
Sprays, etc.)-dandruff brushes off-nits are "cemented" on.
5. Do not use lice shampoo AND hair rinse-Use permethrins (Nix cream =
rinse) if possible, preferably once.
6. Do not spray household with chemicals, nor hire pest control company.
7. Your pets did not "give" your child lice. They have different =
baseline body temperatures than humans, and human lice do not live on =
pets.
8. Your child does not "keep getting lice", despite your treatments. =
Your child is more likely to have never completely gotten rid of it.
9. Ignore most of what you read on the internet-most is not true. It is =
well-meaning, listed on seemingly reputable sites, but most often based =
upon knowledge of lice in laboratory situations-not real life =
experience.
The Truth:=20
Buy 2 boxes Nix, one metal nit comb, and disposable or cheap shower =
cap.
1. Wash your child's hair with low-residue shampoo-Prell, or even dish =
detergent-NO "Kiwi Shampoo", etc. for a long time to come! (kitchen =
sink is best, because that area is more likely to have tile or hard =
floors)
2. Towel dry-THIS towel goes into a trash bag which you seal =
immediately, and wash on "cottons"-ie. HOT water.
3. Apply Nix brand cream rinse. If your child has long hair, you may =
need 1 =BD bottles to cover all the hair.
4. Place inexpensive shower cap (disposable if available-the type hotels =
hand out) immediately over all hair, and leave on for the suggested =
time.
5. Remove shower cap. Rinse hair THOROUGHLY. Towel dry-this towel =
also should be bagged and place directly into washing machine.
6. Now comes the hard part. You need 1 towel, one metal nit comb (buy =
separately), and plastic nit comb which came in box. The plastic nit =
comb that comes in the box is OK to use to remove dead bugs, but will =
not remove all dead lice-so you might use it first (the teeth often =
break in thick hair.). Comb hair perfectly first. Have child sit on =
kitchen chair. Sweep comb down rapidly. Swipe the "foamy" comb onto =
towel nearby. Repeat through all sections of hair.
7. When finished, repeat with metal comb, swiping onto towel each time. =
(This towel gets treated same way as others.)
8. Dry hair (if not dry already!) with hair-blower on hot or use old =
fashioned cap hair dryer. =20
9. Now, de-nit. Separate head into quadrants with hair clips, if hair =
is long. Otherwise visually distinguish areas. Each nit must be caught =
between finger nails and slid to end of hair shaft. Drop on =
floor-vacuum this area later. DO THIS part under fluorescent =
light-another reason why kitchens are usually best-or under bright =
light. Magnification is only necessary if you usually need it!
10. THIS IS WHERE you expend time and energy-forget everything else. =
The only other time expenditure: washing those towels, and vacuuming the =
kitchen area where you de-nitted.
11. Check for nits within 24 hrs. Remove all newly discovered nits.
Repeat every day for 1 week.
12. For the first week after treatment, please have your daughter come =
to the nurse and I will "de-nit" her as much as time allows, and let you =
know what I find. I would be happy to check any family member, etc. as =
well. =20
13. ******* Remember that at Holton, admitting to being itchy or having =
lice is NOT an embarrassment-it has nothing to do with cleanliness, just =
bad luck in catching it. I check teachers and other adults too! =
Admitting that you are itchy and having me check you is just smart-it =
will be over and you will prevent others from catching them if you do =
that-hence being a "hero".
We teach the girls that admitting they are itchy EARLY and getting =
checked makes them our HEROES-because if they DO have it, catching it =
early is key to getting rid of it quickly and preventing others from =
catching it.***********************************
=20
-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators =
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Stephen Edele
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2008 5:24 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Lice Policy
I would be interested in hearing from any K-8 schools regarding your =
policy
dealing with lice. Specifically, I am interested in whether or not you
insist children who are infected stay at home until the problem is =
cleared
up.
=20
Many thanks,
=20
-Steve
=20
Stephen Edele
Head of School
The Harbor School
P.O. Box 1912
Vashon, WA 98070
206-567-5955
=20
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