Headlice in class

[AbFabDaaaaahling]

If a child in a class was found to have a very severe case of headlice - so much so that headlice seen crawling on head by staff and onto the clothing of other children - what would you expect to happen?

A letter home to other classmates and some help given to the parent of said child

If it's as bad an infestation as that I think the child should stay off until treated :(

Some sort of communication (letter, note on the app etc) saying there were head lice in the class and could everyone check/treat their child. And probably the teacher specifically speaking to the parents of the child to make sure they're aware and will treat it/know how to treat it.

I would expect a phonecall to that child's parents to notify them, and advice on checking/treating emailed to the whole class/year. NHS advice is that children shouldn't be kept off school.

I've been told office can't call home to let mum know as that would be classed as "discrimination".

A parent can't be told that their child has head lice, because to do so would be discrimination? On what possible grounds?

I'd word it carefully to avoid saying anything that made it sound like you're blaming them for starting an outbreak though.

Yes that’s correct. A letter home will suffice.
Head lice are extremely common. My daughter had a very bad case as her hair was so long and thick. I was aware of it and treating it but it took 10 treatments to clear it!

Discrimination based on what?

Although I don’t think this is a school problem. Yes they aren’t pleasant but they don’t pose a health risk. So, apart from comms home the school aren’t obliged to take further action.

How do you know the infestation is so bad? Have you seen the head of the child and the lice moving about?

My advice is to use the medicated shampoos, keep checking, tie hair back and repeat as necessary.

@StellaGibson2022 Yes - scratching constantly and staff members seen crawling on head.
I don't get the "discrimination" part?

It can be a sign of wider neglect. The parents need to be spoken to, and supported.

Cant the class teacher send a message home with the child? E.g:
Mrs Whatsit said you need to check my head for lice as I keep on itching it

(Suggested from embarrassing experience here; my reception aged DCs head wasnt crawling with lice but I kept blaming the itching on the little bit of residual cradle cap left… I was very red faced when I had to apologise to the teacher only after discovering I had nits in my own hair. Up to that point and DC being in nursery from 10months that was my first experience of the little critters. Now I am very relaxed abiut them and always have a bottle of hedrin on standby)

It isn't discrimination to tell a parent pertinent information about their child - in what way could it be considered unjust or prejudicial treatment?

Don't blame them for starting an outbreak, or call them shitty parents for not noticing. Just tell them that there is an outbreak and staff have noticed that their child has caught them.

Still totally confused as to how calling a parent to inform them of this is classed as discrimination?

Can you ask the person who told you it was?

Is the issue the head lice or that someone has said they cannot inform the parent because it is discrimination?

I'd be logging on CPOMS safeguarding system as potential neglect, to have got so bad.

@StellaGibson2022 She said she wouldn't be allowed to call home if child had a cold so it's the same principle and would be classed as "discrimination".
The world has gone mad.

I now have to cover my head in hairspray when i visit my parents because my niece who works in a school lives there and has in the recent past caught head lice off a kid she does one to one with, If my 88 year old mother (who has osteoporosis and simply refuses to be touched or helped) catches it its going to cause issues. This fucking hands off approach means its getting into the wider community. Its unacceptable.

@JenniferBooth The TA who found one on her was told by the office staff member just to wash them out if she had them!!

Might remind the NHS of that if my elderly mother catches it, refuses to be touched then has to go into hospital

There was a nurse on a previous thread who said if kids come in for treatment and they have head lice she has to treat it..........every single time.
Utter hypocrisy from the NHS

Does she know what discrimination means?

I can’t understand how it’s discrimination and obviously they should call the parents. If it’s that bad though the parents are likely to already know, maybe they have attempted to treat the headline or maybe they don’t care (which is awful but I’m sure there are plenty of parents who wouldn’t care).

I work in a primary school and we always let families know if we notice their child has lice. And a letter is sent home to families letting them know we've had a case in the class. If a parent isn't treating their child's life we'd try to support them and then it would be a raised as a possible safeguarding concern.

Ds had a young boy who was riddled with lice... Parents were not fussed at all We got fed up I invited him for playdate. Sent a text saying found nits on my DC I may as well do yours as well, as he's here...

also gave him a brand-new bed set told them it was a freebie

Well worth it.

We also baked a 🍰 not just nit treatment

I live in North Germany, this is what happens when a teacher sees headlice on a child,,, the parent is called right away and told to come and collect their child, the parent has to sort the headlice and the child cannot go back to school for another 2 days, (but if it happens on a Friday they can go in on the Monday) a letter is sent to all parents asking them to check their child's hair and they must sign a form to say they have done this. When it happened in my DDs Kindergarten the child had to stand outside the front door until they are collected. But when it happened in the school DD was still in the building when I collected her.