To think schools should take nits more seriously?

[Eurydice84]

Since January I have had to treat DD (and the rest of the family) for head lice several times. We follow all the recommended steps, wash bedding and clothing, and repeat the treatment after one week. The buggers seem to go away but then they're back again. It's likely that they're going around the school, and it only takes one kid to pass them on to the others. I am at my wits' end, it's impossible to coordinate 50 parents to treat at the same time, and the school doesn't allow absences for head lice. They don't seem to care at all, honestly. I have spent so much time and money trying to get rid of the problem, but there is no point if the school doesn't make it a priority as well. I also think head lice treatment should be subsidised, it's terribly expensive (£10 a bottle, and we need at least two for each treatment). AIBU?

We can't talk to individual parents even if we know their child has nits. All we can do is a class text/letter advising everyone that there is a case in the class. I know that many can't afford hedrin and won't spend hours combing. It's never ending.

Reported to who?

if someone is regularly coming in and not being treated school may record it as part of a bigger picture but no external agency is going to do anything about normal cases of nits treated or not

When my dd got nits a few mums tried to blame me....well dd got them from someone else. And yes, I did constantly comb and treat her hair with lotion.
Dd had thick, long hair though so it was tricky to get them all.
Nits are a pita but what can schools do? They cant send home kids with nits. They could have a nit nurse ( who would volunteer to do that?)

When I volunteered in schools we were not allowed to examine individual children for head lice even if we saw them scratching. It's not that staff don't want to help, it's that they don't have the power.

I agree with keeping hair short, unfortunately. I have boys and neither of them have had head lice yet even though ds1's has been shoulder length at times.

A school can't have the same policy for head lice as it does for chickenpox & flu.....that's utterly ridiculous. The former are serious illnesses, the latter is a very treatable parasite.

As for the treatment being subsidised- if you are in Scotland I think it is covered by minor aliments/free prescriptions. If you are in England I guess you have to pay the same as you would for Calpol, plasters or any other care your child requires.

I’ve taught (albeit secondary) for 25 years and have a Yr 5 and Yr 8 child. We have never had nits! Are some people immune?

I don’t think it’s schools’ responsibility. Our school used to send out a letter every time there was an outbreak and they asked for long hair to be tied back , but I don’t see what else they can do. As you say, it’s impossible to coordinate all the parents doing the treatments on the same day. And some parents won’t bother at all.

Believe me, I understand your frustration as it was CONSTANT when my DD was at primary. We also often saw nits on her best friend who lived two doors down and who DD spent almost all of her free time with. I always told the mum when I had found them on my DD and when I saw them on her DD, but this little girl had (beautiful!) bum-length thick hair and I just don’t think the mum had the time to do the combing. I know how long it takes on a normal head of hair so can only imagine how long it would have taken on this girl’s very long, very thick hair. If I was that mum, I’d have cut the DD’s hair much shorter but obviously I couldn’t suggest that!

I stopped buying the treatments in the end as I resented the expense and the nasty chemicals. So instead I scrutinised DD’s head every evening. When she had nits, I did nitty gritty comb and cheap conditioner every evening. Once they were gone, I’d do the combing every other evening, and then every three days, but still checking very carefully every day. I became an expert at finding the buggers- even the minuscule ones.

Basically I accepted that the problem was not going to go away any time soon, and that it was a case of catching each infestation in its early stages. I had to set aside significant time in the evenings for it and it was a massive ballache but we got out of the cycle in the end once the girls were a bit older.

Now DD is 18 and we never have to worry about nits anymore but there are plenty of other things to be worried about now 😂

I honestly do remember the frustration though- my sympathies.

I work in a primary school. I don’t want to be checking other children’s hair thanks! If we can see something we will inform parents, or let them know if they have been scratching but the only child I will be checking is my own!

If you are only treating with the chemical treatment then it’s likely that you are not being reinfected by an outside source and more likely you are missing an egg or a louse everytime and the cycle starts again within your own family. The treatment isn’t 100% effective. You need to cover hair very thickly in conditioner and leave for at least 20 minute. This suffocates all the lice, they can hold their breath for an unbelievable long time. Then sit and use a comb to get them all out. This takes time. Repeat this again every second day for at least 10 days. Only then can you be sure you have eradicated the little shits.

I recommend Vosene anti lice shampoo and spray - always use on my little ones.

Also are you sure you are getting rid of all the lice and eggs - it is almost impossible at times with long hair and do wonder if it isn’t that they’re being reinfected.

Oh, to add to my earlier post- a PP suggested tea tree oil hair products- YES- we found these really effective at preventing infestations. They didn’t completely eradicate the problem but they did make the infestations less frequent.

At DS's school, kids with nits get send home immediately for treatment (at least 24 hours at home). Parents have to come and pick them up and they are not to return until they have been treated. The rest of the class get an email home to inform parents and tell them to check/treat their kids as well. All of the class have to bring in a signed form the next day confirming that parents have done that. No note, parents are called to pick them up.
We do have issues with nits every so often but not a lot.

Another vote for Vosene kids tea tree shampoo to keep them away

My daughter has been sent home with headlice twice since Christmas, once there wasn't active lice just some eggs (apparently- couldn't find them). I'd already treated her that week so I was pretty enraged that time. I'm in Scotland where the shampoo is subsidised so maybe you should move here.

Or if you're a two parent working household, maybe you shouldn't as I can assure you treating your child every week for head lice is easier than juggling a busy job when you're kid is sent home all the time because the lady at the front desk saw one white spot. Between the coughs and the lice and the odd occasion where she's actually feeling unwell, the last 3 months have been a nightmare

I think the school nurses have far bigger issues to be dealing with tbh! The school is just the conduit the same as brownies, nursery, soft play, gymnastic clubs!! anywhere where kids congregate - apart from telling parents what to do I don’t think the school remit goes further than that.

Sorry what? It’s your own kids hair 😂

At DS's school, kids with nits get send home immediately for treatment (at least 24 hours at home).

I'm surprised they get away with that. Even the NHS website says you don't need to keep a child off school with nits.

The same website also just recommends the wet comb method.

That would just make vulnerable children who need the safety of school even more vulnerable if they are not allowed in school because of their parents neglect.

Just found an interesting guidance letter from Norfolk council to schools:

Do not exclude a child from school because of head lice infection. The Education Act 1996 provides for the examination and exclusion of children by a medical officer duly appointed by the LEA. This provision is a direct cut and paste from the Education Act 1944 Act. However, no such officer exists today. In any event exclusion is an illogical approach as:

· It cannot eliminate the infection

· It is an overreaction to a problem which is not a public health threat

· It is not used for other conditions with low transmissibility such as verrucae and herpes simplex.

Do not agree with angry parents that routine head inspections should be reintroduced. They were never effective.

It’s the parents who should take it more seriously.

I work with children as a nurse and we have some regular patients who always have nits at every admission, which we have to treat. Every time.

I agree with you. We should be allowed to send children home if they have persistent nits for the benefit of everyone, especially the poor child that needs to be treated properly.

But if they have a parent who for whatever reason can’t or won’t treat how does excluding them from school help them?

We don’t have enough teachers or teaching assistants. I think a nit nurse is pretty low down in the priorities.

You don’t need expensive stuff.

I’ve used conditioner and a comb in the past and just gone through my daughter’s hair until all is gone, it’s taken hours. 😏

It’s not schools problem, it’s the parents that allow their kids to walk around with head lice. My daughter has caught nits 4 times, each time I’ve got rid within a day. She’s now 11 at high school.

Crap like this is why teachers are leaving the profession. They are there to provide an education but are doing more and more parenting. I know I would rather my child’s teachers focus on planning interesting lessons than deal with nit problems.
Be angry by all means, but your frustrations should be with the lazy ass parents who don’t treat their children’s lice.