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DoDEA School Health Services Manual 2942.0 Volume 1 Revised: 2016 DRAFT
I-15
Pediculosis, What School Personnel Need to Know
What School Personnel Should Know About Pediculosis
Information obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics
An infestation of head lice is known as pediculosis.
A head lice infestation isn't
a sign of poor personal hygiene or an unclean living environment. Head lice don't
carry bacterial or viral infectious diseases.
Head lice are insects that live on the
human head and ingest blood several times a day. Head lice are very small,
brownish, and wingless. Head lice have a life cycle of approximately 30 days and
cannot survive without the human host. Head lice can crawl, very rapidly; they
cannot fly or jump. A mature head louse will lay eggs (nits) on an individual hair
shaft at the base of the scalp. The nits are secured to the hair shaft and cannot be
shaken loose. A nit casing will remain on the hair shaft long after the nymph has
hatched and as the hair shaft grows the proximity of the nit to the scalp widens. A nit
is about the size and color of a grain of sand.
Current research supports that only the student suspected of pediculosis, their
siblings, and close friends should be checked at school. Whole classroom "head
checks" are no longer the prudent action to take. Current research also no longer
supports the "no-nit" policies of previous decades. The school nurse will notify the
sponsor/parent/guardian, explaining their findings and offer a course of action. A
student suspected of having head lice may remain in school until the end of the day.
Having head lice is not an immediate exclusion from school. Once a student has been
treated with a pediculicide (prescribed or over-the-counter) the student should be
allowed back in school.
Pediculosis Protocol for Classroom Teachers
1. Observe students in your class for signs/symptoms of nits and or head lice.
This can be done as you routinely walk around the room checking seat work. A
student may frequently scratch the back of their head, especially around the
ears and the base of the neck. The teacher may observe a redden “rash”
caused by the action of the students nails on the scalp as they scratch.
2. Send any student you suspect of having nits and/or head lice to the school
nurse or the main office, with a completed Health Referral Form, (SHSM Form
H-4-6). Every effort should be made to protect the identity of the student
suspected of having head lice.
3. Students can go home at the end of the day, be treated, and return to class
after appropriate treatment has begun.