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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think this child should have been kept off school (nits)?!!!

213 replies

WiseFinch · 21/03/2025 17:17

I am a teaching assistant and have been working with early years this week. Child informs me that they had “fleas in their hair” and had to have special shampoo last night.,
My first reaction was to keep a wide berth but this is absolutely impossible with a 4 year old.

Through the course of the day, it is very clear that this child still has a raging case of nits and is itching their head - and also hanging off me every five minutes for a cuddle… This was two days ago and now my head is itching. I did not have close contact for very long and it wasn’t head to head, plus my hair was up, but I’m now absolutely paranoid I’ve got nits - and I’m sure they’ll be going around the whole class as we speak.

I am new-ish to this job and don’t have kids myself, but surely you should keep your child off until all of the nits are gone? It’s not a case of neglect here, family are well to do and are quite nice people! So I am fully prepared to be told IABU. What does everyone think???

OP posts:
shellyleppard · 21/03/2025 17:24

Many many moons ago when my children were small saw a parent picking nits out of her daughter's hair before sending her into school 🤢🤢🤢 i made a trip to the chemist on way home 😀

imnotsickbutimnotwell · 21/03/2025 17:24

Why don’t you ask what the school policies are? I have never heard of a school allowing absence for nits or half the class would be off for weeks. Schools sometimes send reminders out about tidying long hair up or saying there is an outbreak. My school are not allowed not specify which class it is in those comms though.

If you have long hair I suggest you tie it back in school.

stealthninjamum · 21/03/2025 17:22

Dds had nits and I’d spend hours treating them and combing through their long hair. It was bloody awful. As soon as I was sure the nits had gone it would go round the class again and we’d get nits again. I’m sure we had them on and off for about four months and then over the summer holidays everyone must’ve treated their kids hair and they finally went.

ViaRia01 · 21/03/2025 17:22

So if you do catch head lice are you planning to call in sick?

Rooroobear · 21/03/2025 17:22

Nits are constantly in school. You can’t keep off for nits. At my dcs school the class get a letter to say nits are in the class. The school aren’t even allowed to tell the parents their own child has nits so it’s a guessing game. It’s life. Nits thrive in primary school, always have, always will. Get used to it and stock up on lotion

Thewholeplaceglitters · 21/03/2025 17:21

You are not going to last long in education if this worries you as much as it seems to. Wait til cold / flu / norovirus season 😂

Btw, hair straightening is a good way to keep nits out of adult hair.

EmeraldShamrock000 · 21/03/2025 17:21

The cycle will continue unless a mass email is sent out.

I have been very lucky so far, my children never picked up nits in school.

I used tea tree oil shampoo when they were in primary.

JoyousEagle · 21/03/2025 17:21

WiseFinch · 21/03/2025 17:19

Wow, seriously??? That seems utterly insane to me!! So does the cycle literally just repeat through all 30 kids and then to siblings and family? This is crazy to me, sorry!!

Are you from the UK? I only ask because I’ve seen this issue come up on here before, and some posters from other countries have said that there it’s absolutely the case that a child would be kept off.

Screwyoukeithyoutwat · 21/03/2025 17:21

You need a different job.

Original poster
WiseFinch · 21/03/2025 17:19

Wow, seriously??? That seems utterly insane to me!! So does the cycle literally just repeat through all 30 kids and then to siblings and family? This is crazy to me, sorry!!

OP posts:
EmeraldShamrock000 · 21/03/2025 17:19

It depends on the shampoo, usually the parent would comb them out after the treatment but they're done after one wash, so no, not necessarily off if treated.

JoyousEagle · 21/03/2025 17:18

No - no one keeps their children off for nits. Even if they wanted to, the school wouldn’t authorise it if you called in sick for that reason. They’d say to come in.

thinkfast · 21/03/2025 17:18

You can’t keep a child off school for nits! Half the class would be off at times. It’s simple to treat. I like hedrin once.

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