When a parent learns their child has head lice, one of the first questions they ask is when their student can return to school. You might be surprised to hear that your child can return to their classroom once appropriate treatment has begun. In fact, your child doesn’t have to miss any school. They can finish out their day, be treated and return to school the next day. Of course, check with your child’s school first for specifics.
We know more about lice than ever before, which is why “no nit” policies are quickly growing outdated. Let’s learn more about the latest policies that schools are using and when it’s safe for your child to return to their classes.
Why “No Nit” Policies are Being Discontinued
Your neighbor or friend might tell you to keep your child home until they are nit free. Even your parent might tell you to do this. But, it’s not necessary.
Both the Amercian Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) say that “no nit” policies should be discontinued. Here are some of the reasons why.
- Nits are often located ¼ inch from the scalp. They need blood from the scalp to survive, which means these nits are not viable. They’re unlikely to hatch and may even be empty shells. Therefore, waiting for these nits to disappear can put a child out of school for an unnecessarily long time.
- Nits that are viable are firmly planted to the hair shafts and not likely to be transferred to other students. Mature lice that can crawl are a different story, but nits usually stay close to their host.
- Missing school for an extended period of time can result in negative consequences, such as isolation, embarrassment, decreased grades and more. Many parents work and can’t sit at home with their child, either. All of this far outweighs the risk of sending a child to school with nits.
To Return to School, Treatment is Necessary
Now that you have a better understanding of why schools are doing away with “no nit” policies, we want to emphasize the importance of receiving proper treatment. Not all treatments are created equal. It’s in everyone’s best interests to choose a safe, effective treatment the first time around. This is what stops the spread of lice.
The first thing to do is confirm the case by a trusted school nurse or head lice expert. You don’t want to treat your child for lice if they don’t have it. Once lice is confirmed, we recommend a professionally applied treatment that uses dimethicone. Over-the-counter head lice products that contain permethrin often fail and are not recommended.
My Hair Helpers offers in-salon and in-home head lice checks and treatments. We also sell our hair lice products online. We guarantee that kids can return to school on the same day, causing as little disruption as possible. The benefits to using our hair lice treatments are:
- Effective strand-by-strand technique
- Proprietary, all-natural products
- Do-it-yourself online tutorials
- Same-day appointments
- Family friendly pricing
- 30-day guarantee
- Lifetime Protection
We understand that when a child has lice, it turns your house upside down. That’s why we’re here to help. Your child can safely return to school as soon as they receive treatment. Schedule an appointment or purchase our online treatment kit and let’s get your child back in class where they belong!
