Headlice and teachers procedure - pls advise - pretty angry right now!

[Lizziekid]

(posted in primary ed but on 2nd thoughts, prob be better in here!)

Hiya, i'd like some advice on headlice and teachers!!

Headlice has been an on going porblem for my daughter. We manage to get rid of them and then about a month later they seem to re-appear, summer holiday, easter etc etc she is all clear, the minute back at school she gets them.

Today my daughters teacher pulled me to one side after school and explained that a helper had looked in her hair and that she was crawling with lice, she then went on to say that the headteacher had said that unless they are gone she has to stay home from school until they are gone. I was made to feel like my daughter is the root cause of the whole schools problem with headlice. Having spoken to my daughter who is 7, no-one has touched her hair today, and having combed through her hair tonight with a nitty gritty comb i found one lice in her hair. i'm so angry and want to say sonething to the head as

1. surely being made to stay at home is like a suspension from school and would have thought a letter would need to be written to me
2. why is she being singled out, as no other parents have had this said to them
3. and why did the head send a message through the teacher and not approach me herself???

am i over reacting????? pls help!

i was under the impression that schools arent allowed to carry out headlice checks any more?even when it was commonplace,the whole school was checked on the same day and those with live lice were sent home with letters.they used to tell you to keep them off till they'd been treated but that would have been with the nit lotion that you leave on for an hour or so.most head lice are immune to that stuff now,so i dont kno what schools expect you to do

have you tried the repellant sprays,tea tree shampoo etc?my dd1 used to get h lice all the time in infant school and i used those things,and checked her every week.if she did get an infestation,i would put baby oil on her hair and use the nit comb.

i can understand that you are angry,and if i were you i would look into the legal situation with headlice checks atm.

Oh. I think the version you posted on primary ed is getting more hits. I've posted on it. I'd be very upset if I were you and angry. How dare they?

Techinclaly schools etc are not allowed to ferret around in kids' heads. I have spent pounds using Hedron or whatever it's called to find that the kids are clear on Sunday and lousy by Tuesday. Big ones too so some bugger is not checking their kids!!

I feel that teachers really can't do right for doing wrong over the headlice issue. Teachers are not allowed to look through children's hair and are usally advised not to even mention them to a parent. It seems that if teachers simply hand out letters, as advised, then they're wrong for doing nothing, and if they dare approach a parent to discuss the matter then they're still in the wrong.

It may just be that the teacher noticed the lice/louse. Sometimes you can just see them, even if it's just one. I imagine the teacher felt pretty awkward talking to you about it (teacher's sometimes can't breathe for fear of parents having a problem with it). You obvioulsy feel very sensitive about this, as do other parents, which is why you won't be aware of the same conversation taking place with any of the other parents. And it is definitely normal for a teacher to pass on the head's policies on school issues to parents.