There are many public schools that have a strict “no nit” policy when it comes to dealing with head lice. However, there are those public schools that do not. Although, there is no perfect policy and it may seem extremely unfair that your child is sent home, the policy is aimed to eliminate the spread of head lice to other children. Many school officials, including school nurses, may lack the expertise necessary to determine if nits are active or inactive. Therefore, if they spot a nit in a child’s hair they send them home until all the nits have been removed. This is why it is so important that parents take meticulous care during the nit removal phase after a head lice treatment.
There is some controversy over the “no nit” policy implemented at schools. On one hand, excluding a child based on nits in the hair can actually have lasting emotional effects for the child. On the other hand, it is reassuring for the parents of other children, that a child with an infestation of head lice will not be allowed in school to spread it to others. Though it is true due to isolation, a child may have emotional issues after experiencing head lice, the problems that may be posed because of ridicule by classmates and friends could be much worse.
There are some advantages to the “no nit” policies despite the fact that there is some opposition. Studies and data collected by Headhunters L.R.S. show that on average, schools with seasonal head lice checks show a lower exposure rate for grades K-6, at about 2%. Alternately, schools that do not perform seasonal head lice checks have shown to have an exposure rate of 6-12%, for grades K-6. For communities to actively control head lice infestations, there needs to be a universal protocol when dealing with an outbreak. This is one way to help prevent head lice becoming an epidemic in school and daycare settings.
Having a “no nit” policy will take the guess work out of the hands of those who are responsible for checking to see if a child is free from head lice. They simply do not allow the child in school if a nit is found. Most lice removal specialists believe that the number one cause of a re-infestation is failure to remove nits from the hair. Nit removal is inconvenient and time consuming. However, by combing the hair with a good nit removal comb ensures that head lice and their eggs are removed. Failure to do this can result in having to repeat the treatment process several times, multiplying the inconvenience of treating head lice.