Dear Parents,
A child in our preschool had head lice. The following information will tell you about this condition. Please contact us, as well as your physician, if your child exhibits any of the following symptoms. We would like to assure you, however, that all the children in the exposed classroom have been checked today.
The symptoms of head lice include:
· Lice
○ Tiny creatures about the size of the head of a pin.
· Nits
○ The egg sack of the louse. It is white or light brown and will be firmly
attached to the hair shaft (Flaking of the scalp is easily brushed away
whereas nits must be virtually scraped off). Nits are most visible under
ultraviolet light.
· Repeated scratching of the same area (often along the hairline or behind the ears.)
Because of the danger of an epidemic, we do not allow children with lice to attend school until after the condition has been treated.
Control of head lice is accomplished by the following steps:
· Treatment prescribed by your physician
○ It is recommended that all members of the household be treated.
○ Many stores will sell medication shampoo especially for head lice.
· Removal of eggs (nits)
○ Remove from the hair with a fine-toothed comb (preferably metal).
This is a very tedious job, but every single nit must be removed
before your child returns to school. It is facilitated by lubricating
the hair with a small amount of mineral oil.
· Laundering
○ Thorough laundering or dry cleaning as appropriate for fabric of
bed linens, bed spreads, blankets and all clothing worn within one
month of infestation. If laundering, use hot water and dryer settings.
Boiling is not necessary.
· Vacuuming
○ Thorough vacuuming of floors and upholstered furniture, disposing
of the vacuum cleaner bag afterwards.
· Disinfecting
o Disinfecting combs and brushes by washing with the same medicated
shampoo as used on the hair.
Head lice infestation is commonly encountered among school children, so there is no need for alarm. Infestation is spread by either direct contact with a person who has had lice or indirectly, by contact with their personal belongings such as clothing (especially collars), headgear, towels, bedding, combs, brushes, etc.., which temporarily harbor the lice or nits. It has no relation to cleanliness. Head lice can multiply in hair that is shampooed daily.
In order for your child to return to school, your child will be re-screened by their teacher for evidence of infestation on a regular basis. The appearance of nits indicates inadequate treatment or re-infestation, and your child will be sent home from school until your child is nit-free. It is not possible to determine if a nit is alive or dead, therefore we have adopted this firm NO NIT POLICY.
Head lice infestation is a COMMUNITY PROBLEM requiring a grass root effort to control. With your cooperation the outbreak here at Merritt will be brought to a successful conclusion.
If you have any questions, please give us a call. If we are to be successful in ridding our school of this pest, it will be as a result of 100% cooperation in this endeavor. Please check your children for any signs. If you find lice, please contact the school so that we may carefully check others in the class.
As of tomorrow morning, your child’s classroom will have been sprayed to rid any lice that may be in the classroom. We also ask that sheets and blankets be taken home each day, for a period of a week, washed, and brought back to school in a plastic bag. Please leave the bags of sleep items in your child’s cubby. For the time being, no stuffed animals may be brought into the classroom.
Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Beverly Linning
Beverly Linning
Preschool Director