5143.3
Policy
Students
Welfare
Health
Communicable Diseases
The Ashland-Greenwood Public
Schools believes that controlling the spread of communicable diseases within
the school is a part of the provision of a safe and secure learning
environment. Disease prevention will
also reduce the amount of learning time loss by students for illnesses,
diseases and other health conditions.
The Ashland-Greenwood
Schools shall follow state laws and Department of Health and Human Services
recommendations and rules for the control of communicable diseases. The Superintendent or his/her designee may
also develop practice guidelines to further clarify or enhance upon state laws,
rules, regulations and recommendations.
Adopted: December 4, 1999
REVISED 11/5 Regulation
5143.3
Ashland-Greenwood Health
Services Practice Guideline: Head Lice
PURPOSE:
The Ashland-Greenwood Public
Schools has adopted to these rules and regulations in
order to:
1.
Control the spread of a nuisance condition in the school setting.
2.
Minimize absenteeism due to head lice.
3.
Promote a partnership between the public school and parents in head lice
control
GENERAL INFORMATION:
1. Head lice are considered to be a nuisance disease and
are not a major public health concern.
2. The majority or cases result from c1ose contact with
an infested person outside the c1assroom. However, the control measures mode1ed
in the school are va1uable as a demonstration of the measures we expect
fami1ies to take in their home. Failure of the school to respond to the concern
of head 1ice may be perceived as tolerance for head 1ice in the school and
perpetuate concerns that transmission occurs in the school environment.
3. Individual students must not be singled out for
screening more often than ca11ed for in this practice guideline. Students
should not be monitored daily for the hatching of nits. Once returned to class,
the student should be re-screened in 7-10 days unless the parent specifically
requests more frequently. If the parent does request more frequent screening,
the school will encourage the parent to take responsibility and provide any
needed training information and reinforcement.
4. School/home cooperation is vital for controlling the
spread of head lice and absenteeism from school. Communication with all
families and widespread head checks may take place in order to augment contro1
efforts.
5. Repeated, incomplete or ineffective treatment has
been shown to contribute to the development of resistance in the lice found on
that chi1d's head and is a contributing factor to repetitive treatment
failures. In addition, early research in the
INDICATIONS:
The purpose of the screening
activity is to identify and exclude untreated cases as soon as possible to
reduce the burden of lice in schools and to prevent potential spread. The screening activity in the school also is
intended to reflect the school’s commitment to a lice-free environment for
learning.
Screening may take place in
the following situations:
1. The entire school, as a part of a general health
check at the beginning of each school year;
2. The entire school, as a mid-year scan at or near the
start of the second semester;
3. A student, upon request by a classroom teacher;
4. A student, at the request of a parent or guardian;
5. Siblings and close friends, upon the identification
of an active infestation;
6. A classroom, upon identification of multiple
infestations in a classroom;
7. A grade, upon the identification of significant
identification in a classroom; and
8. The entire school, upon a significant identification
of infestations in several classrooms,
PROCEDURE FOR SCREENING:
1. The nurse or nurse designee shall conduct the
screening with the greatest degree of discretion and privacy that can be
afforded an individual student. In the event that screening is conducted in a
public or classroom setting, the screener shall refrain from overtly
identifying children with head lice. The nurse or nurse designee may request
those children with head lice or suspicious findings come to the health office
at a later time for an unspecified reason.
2. A good light source shall be provided for screening
with a magnifying glass.
3. It is recommend that hair be
separated in sections with a craft stick to expose the scalp in an orderly and
thorough fashion. The screener shall avoid touching the hair and will wash
hands between screenings if handling lice. Sticks shall be discarded between
screenings.
4. Lice and nits are most often visualized at the nape
of the neck behind the ears and around the crown of the head therefore these
will be the most common areas checked.
PROCEDURE FOR THE STUDENT IDENTIFIED WITH HEAD LICE:
1. When a student is found to have head lice, he or she
is to be excluded from school for treatment. The student may return when the
parent/guardian confirms a treatment method has been utilized and the child ho
no visible live lice or nits.
2. It is imperative that parent/guardians receive
complete and appropriate written information on the subject of treatment
recommendations for head lice. Key components of the information provided
should include: emphasis on following the manufacturer’s recommendation for the
product used; emphasis on nit removal as key to effective and lasting treatment
of head lice, and guidelines on environmental delousing. This will include
laundering of clothing, bedclothes, and other outer garments, toys, etc., as
well as vacuuming the entire home and car.
3. The parent is to be notified that the child has been
found to have head lice. Return to school will not be allowed until the child
is free from live head lice and lice nits.
4. Office staff should closely monitor the student’s
absence from school. If the child is
gone from school for more than two days the school will call the parent to
determine if any assistance is needed.
5. Documentation of the identification and intervention
of head lice shall be made by the school nurse.
6. If a child is excluded from school for more than
three days in a given school year then the family may be referred to Department
of Health and Human Services for family assistance.
ENVIRONMENTAL GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOLS WITH MULTIPLE
CASES ANNUALLY.
The school shall augment
effective control by practicing environmental control measures.
1. Reassigning of lockers of students who have repeated
head lice to a private coat/hat locker
2. A student health unit in all classrooms shall take
place on head lice and the discouraging of sharing clothing, combs, brushes,
hair bindings, etc.
3. Pillows and cushions shall be discouraged in reading
areas.
4. Stuffed animals, pillows, shared clothing outerwear
shall be bagged for at least 10 days following the identification of head lice
in a classroom.
PARENT/COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT HEAD LICE:
Every parent should receive information on
head lice towards the beginning of each school year and after an outbreak of
head lice in the parent’s child’s classroom. The school may want to make
informative announcements at other times as well. An informative mailing about head lice shall
include means for identification of head lice and treatment recommendations.
The classroom notification
to parents shall also identify for the parent whether or not head
lice has been discovered in their child’s classroom and whether or not a
classroom screening has taken place. In
the event lice is identified in a classroom, parents
shall be encouraged to monitor their own children for head lice.
Adopted: November 15, 1999