Health Information

When is my child too ill to come to school?

Determining when your child is too ill to come to school in the morning can be challenging at times. In order to protect your child’s health and that of his classmates, we ask that your child be kept home if he/she has any of the following symptoms.

1.      Fever – temperature over 100 degrees in the past 12 hours.

2.      Acute cold

3.      Persistent cough

4.      Pink eye (conjunctivitis)

5.      Swollen glands or sore throat

6.      Skin rashes or sores

7.      General signs of illness such as vomiting or diarrhea in the past 12 hours, earache, or headache

According to school law mandates, children will be excluded from school for the following infectious conditions. 

1.      Impetigo

2.      Pink eye

3.      Scabies

4.      Ringworm

5.      Lice

6.   Chicken Pox

HEAD LICE

What is it? What do I do?

Head lice are small brown or grayish white insects about the size of a sesame seed which feed on the human scalp. They do not fly or jump. Head lice are easily and quickly spread through head to head, or hand to head contact. Any item that is used by a person with head lice, especially if it touches the head or shoulders, can become the source of head lice.

Lice lay eggs called nits on the hair close to the scalp. The nits, which look like tiny whitish ovals are firmly glued to the hair shafts. They cannot be flicked away like dandruff. Nits usually hatch within two weeks.

WARNING SIGNS
One of the first symptoms of head lice is itching of the head. Look for red marks behind the child’s ears and nape of the neck. These are usually the first places where lice tend to gather although, lice and nits can be found anywhere on the head. You can use a magnifying glass to help see the nits(eggs) on the hair shaft and the lice on the scalp. 

WHAT DO I DO IF MY CHILD HAS LICE? 

1.      Confirm your suspicion of lice by consulting your school nurse or your physician.

2.      Treat the head with a medicated shampoo to kill the lice. The shampoo can be found at your pharmacy and grocery stores. Read the directions carefully and apply the shampoo to the head exactly as directed. Most of the shampoos require that you apply the shampoo directly on dry hair.

3.      After treatment, comb the hair with a fine toothcomb to remove the nits. It is critical to remove every single nit from the head, since even one living nit can lead to reinfestation. Separate the hair into sections, combing a small section at a time. Combing out nits requires time and patience, and cannot be accomplished in one combing.

4.      Check the head daily and continue to comb as needed. Retreat the hair with the shampoo in 7 days. Do not repeat sooner than 7 days.

5.      All headgear such as hats, hair ribbons, headbands, scarves, coats, towels, and bed linens should be cleansed in a washing machine in hot water then dried in a hot dryer for at least twenty minutes.

6.      Personal items such as clothing, bedspreads, blankets, pillows or stuffed animals that cannot be washed should be dry-cleaned or sealed in a plastic bag for a period of 2 weeks.

7.      Combs and brushes should be cleaned by soaking them in hot water for five to

ten minutes.

8.      Vacuum upholstered furniture, pillows and rugs.

9.      Continue to check heads within your family for several weeks.

10.  The school nurse must check your child’s head before returning to the classroom.

HOW YOU CAN HELP CONTROL LICE 

1.      Tell your child to never borrow a friend’s comb, brush, and hair accessories such as barrettes, hair bands, hats or towels.

2.      Once a month, check the heads of all your family members for nits.

3.      Promptly informing the school nurse if you find lice or nits on your children will help control the problem.

4.      Having lice should not be embarrassing. ANYONE CAN GET THEM!

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SCHOOL NURSE IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.

To see pictures of lice and nits go to www.hsph.harvard.edu/headlice.html