The Department of State Health Services School Health Program has been charged by the legislature to provide current and accurate information to school staff, parents and the general public on how to recognize, treat and prevent head lice in a safe and effective way.
For this reason the School Health Program has developed and provides the following information for schools, families and others that work with and care for children such as physicians and health clinic staff.
Materials
Information about prevention and treatment of head lice for families and schools.
Guidelines
A brief description about head lice, how to recognize and treat it and how to keep it from happening again.
Head Lice laws, rules and policy
Describes the law and rules that must be followed if a child in school is found with head lice.
States the DSHS policy that suggests children who are found with lice eggs (nits) should stay in school.
Setting School Policy
Offers guidelines for schools interested in setting district policies relating to head lice.
Resources
Offers additional Web sites to visit for more information on head lice.
MATERIALS:
The following Fact Sheets provided in English and Spanish are copyright free and can be downloaded and printed off in black and white or color to be handed out to parents, caregivers and school staff to help educate and inform.
Lice Fact Sheets - English
- What Are Lice? (Publication # E05-12864) (Color | B&W) (PDF)
- How Do I Know if My Child Has Lice and How Did They Get It? (Publication # E05-12865) (Color | B&W) (PDF)
- What Should I Do If My Child Has Lice? (Publication # E05-12866) (Color | B&W) (PDF)
- How Do I Keep Lice From Coming Back? (Publication # E05-12867) (Color | B&W) (PDF)
- Misconceptions and Truths about Lice Treatment (Publication # E05-12868) (Color | B&W) (PDF)
- Lice Resources (Publication # E05-12869) (Color | B&W) (PDF)
Hoja informativa sobre los piojos de la cabeza - En Español
- ¿Qué son los piojos? (Publication # E05-12864) (Color | B&W) (PDF)
- ¿Cómo sé si mi hijo tiene piojos en la cabeza? Y, de ser así, ¿cómo se le pegaron? (Publication # E05-12865) (Color | B&W) (PDF)
- ¿Qué debo hacer si creo que mi hijo tiene piojos en la cabeza? (Publication # E05-12866) (Color | B&W) (PDF)
- ¿Cómo evito que vuelvan los piojos? (Publication # E05-12867) (Color | B&W) (PDF)
- Mitos, ideas erróneas y verdades sobre el tratamiento de los piojos de la cabeza (Publication # E05-12868 (Color | B&W) (PDF)
- Recursos sobre los piojos de la cabeza (Publication # E05-12869) (Color | B&W) (PDF)
Everything you need to know about HEAD LICE -Todo lo que debe saber sobre los piojos de la cabeza Brochure
Color (PDF) B&W (PDF)
This colorful brochure contains the information found in the lice fact sheets, all in one publication. It is bilingual in English and Spanish and, like all School Health Program materials, is copyright free. It may be downloaded and reprinted in its entirety in either black and white or color. There is also space to add local contact information.
GUIDELINES:
What are Head Lice?
- Head lice are tiny gray to brown insects about the size of a sesame seed that live in human hair and must feed on human blood to live.
- They lay tiny white oval-shaped eggs about the size of a knot in a thread, called nits that lice glue to each strand of hair close to the scalp. Although it is hard to see head lice, a person can see the nits if they look closely.
- Nits are most often found in the hair behind the ears and at the back of the head and neck. The first sign of lice is itching of the head which is caused by the bite of the head lice.
How do You Get Head Lice?
- Head lice happen mostly with elementary school-aged children.
- Children get lice from other children through head to head contact during play or sports or nap time and most often in school settings.
- Sometimes sharing combs, hats or school lockers with a louse infested child can spread head lice.
- You can’t spread nits…only live lice.
- Head lice do not spread disease.
- Any child can get head lice. It doesn’t matter where they live or go to school, boy or girl, black, white or brown. It doesn’t mean the child is sick or unclean. It certainly doesn’t mean they have bad parents.
- Children get head lice almost as much as the common cold. Millions get it at least once a year.
How Do You Get Rid of Head Lice?
The Texas Department of State Health Services recommends the following treatment for head lice and nits:
- Use an over-the-counter FDA-approved shampoo treatment that you find at the drug or grocery store. Follow the directions on the packaging exactly.
- Remove as many nits as possible with a special nit comb that comes with the head lice treatment.
- Treat your home at the same time you treat your child. Do the following:
- Soak combs and brushes in some of the lice shampoo for 1 hour or in very, very hot water for 5-10 minutes.
- Wash sheets, blankets and other bedding in the hottest setting of water in the washing machine.
- Dry-clean non-washable items or seal these items in a plastic bag for 1 week.
- Vacuum furniture, carpets and mattresses thoroughly.
- Treat hair for a second time after 7 days (or follow the manufacturer of the lice treatment’s instructions) to make sure that you kill any lice that may have hatched from nits that might have been missed during the combing, before they lay eggs.
- There is no need to cut hair. Lice like to crawl on short hair just as much as long hair and they need the same amount of treatment.
How Do You Keep Lice From Coming Back?
- Teach family members to recognize nits and how lice is spread and check everyone’s hair periodically.
- If you find lice, follow the recommended treatment closely. It should be reported to the school nurse, who can check close contacts.
- Remind children not to share combs, brushes, hair accessories, headphones, hats, clothing, bedding, coats and so forth.
- Ask the teacher as your child’s school if there is a space to keep jackets, hats and other personal items separate for each child. Ask what you can do to help.
THE LAW AS IT RELATES TO HEAD LICE:
According to Texas Law a child must be sent home from school if live lice are found in their hair. They will be allowed to return to school after one medicated treatment has been given or they bring a note from a physician saying they have been cleared to return to school. When the child returns to school, a head check is not required by law and there is no requirement to report cases of head lice to officials.
Each school district may make additional head lice policies and toughen up this law…and some do. Talk to the school nurse or someone else in charge to find out what the school policy is in your district.
Statute:
What follows is the link to the Texas Code where you can find this law:
Texas Health and Safety Code: Title 2, Chapter 38 – Pediculosis of Minors
Rule:
Also listed is the Texas Administrative Code which details the rule of exclusion and re-admittance as stated above:
Texas Administrative Code: Title 25, Part 1, Chapter 27, Sub Chapter A: Control of Communicable Diseases, RULE §97.7 Diseases Requiring Exclusion from Child-care Facilities and Schools
“No-Nit” Policies
A “no nit” policy is one that excludes students from school based on the presence of lice eggs whether or not live lice are present. The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) does not recommend a “no nit” policy. We do recognize, however, that school districts may adopt one as a local option.
DSHS does not have authority to impose a set policy regarding head lice on districts. DSHS does, however, urge school districts to ensure that its policy does not cause children to miss class unnecessarily or encourage the embarrassment and isolation of students who suffer from repeated head lice infestations.
Head lice infestation is a social issue not a health threat. “No nit” policies place a disproportionate amount of emphasis on head lice management than on real health concerns which should be a higher priority. This over-emphasis can lead to unproductive use of time by school staff and parents, missed classes, unnecessary absences, and parents missing work.
The complete DSHS “no-nit” policy is attached here.
(Microsoft Word document, 130kb)
(Adobe PDF, 40kb)
Additional information on “no-nit” policies for schools can be found through the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses.
SETTING POLICIES FOR SCHOOLS (for school personnel):
When developing district policy about head lice control here are some issues and topics you may want to consider:
Remember that the law is the minimum; the school or district can create stricter guidelines by developing written policies that:
- Facilitate efficient and consistent implementation by all campuses
- Protect school nurses, teachers and other school staff
- Create peace of mind for administrators and parents
- Ensure all children are treated in a fair and equitable manner
Policy should be a joint effort with your School Health Advisory Council, local health care providers, district administrators, school nurses, parents and other stakeholders.
When developing policy based on the laws and rules, consider the following:
- Screening procedures – staying away from unwarranted mass screenings that disrupt student and teacher class time and take away from the nurses’ ability to address the needs of the more physically or mentally disabled student
- Parent/Guardian Notification – including a lice information fact sheet or brochure with the student handbook at the beginning of the year and notification when there is an infestation confined to a specific classroom
- Exclusion Protocol – including what happens if the parent is not home
- Readmission criteria – specifically stating they must use an FDA-approved, medicated treatment
- Definition of and district response to excessive absences – may help address issue of parents who can’t keep their children free of lice. Texas Education Agency has criteria for excessive absences.
You may also want to address the following:
- how the school/district may want to deal with those families that cannot afford to pay for the treatment to rid their child of lice.
- Care in the classroom to prevent the spread of head lice
- Inservice training for school staff
RESOURCES/LINKS:
If you have any further questions about head lice and/or the resources provided on this page, please contact Ellen Smith with the DSHS School Health Program at (512) 776-2140 or email ellen.smith@dshs.state.tx.us.