What is the usual school policy with kids returning to school after head lice?

Question

I'm just curious, can't ask school since its the weekend. My kid came home with head lice this evening. We have already treated her hair and sprayed everything insight, steam cleaned carpets and bathrooms and so on. What such I expect on what the school way say when she can return to school. Do they need to wait the full 7 days before they are allowed back in school and of course I need to call the doctor on monday. Anyone with previous experience with this?

Answer 1

our school policy is that the parent must have a note from doctor or health dept stating the child no longer has lice

THere is no amount of days they have to stay out as long as they ahve this.

Answer 2

thank goodness its been 3 years since i dealt with this...i hate lice. when my daughter was is pre-k there was an outbreak at her school and she got it. they told me that school policy was 7 days before she could return. i did the chemical treatment and kept her home for the 7 days. i took her back the next week and they did a check and there were still some in her hair that i guess i missed. so i bought one of those robi-combs that electrically kills the lice and she was able to go back to school the next week. she missed 2 weeks of school by the time it was over.

Answer 3

Our school doesn't make the families stay home for 7 days.  A  week is too much school to miss.  Call the doctor Monday and keep her home just to make sure.  Maybe even another round of the shampoo wouldn't hurt.  Don't forget to wash all the laundry in hot water and clean any crevices (baseboards, etc.) and change your vacuum bag.  Those little things can cause the lice to come back.  

Usually the school just checks to make sure the child does not have nits in the hair anymore and they are admitted back.  But you can do home checks for awhile too.  Chances are she got the lice from another child at school in the first place, so it's likely that it could happen again if the whole class hasn't been checked.  Put her hair up and spray with with some hair spray.  The kindergarteners at our school all got lice last year because they would all wear their jackets outside to play and when they ran around and got hot, they'd take their jackets off and put them in a big pile in the corner of the playground.  All it took was for one kid with lice to put their coat in the pile with all the others and bam!  An epidemic.  

The long and short of it is that I don't think you'll need to miss more than 2 days of school.  Good luck.

Answer 4

Re-admit after treating with head lice shampoo/treatment.  1 day is enough.  Use 'Moove' and treat again in 5 days time, not 7, wash bed linen in hot water twice in that same week.  Nasty buggers!  If you have a son shave his hair short.  Use tea tree oil diluted in water and spray hair every morning.

Answer 5

I think it's ok as long as she brings enough to share with everyone.

Answer 6

You don't have to wait 7 days. As soon as you are done treating her head then she can return. The nurse will do a check and if she doesn't find anything then your child can return to school. You have to make sure you get every nit out or it could start again. It only takes missing one.

Answer 7

at my school it was a full 24 hrs