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Primary education

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Original poster

School not dealing with nits

105 replies

alisonb123 · 03/10/2014 12:36

A friend of my daughter has had nits constantly for at least the last 3 years. The school are well aware of this as are many of the parents. The child's mother is in complete denial and claims that she checks her hair.

I have had enough of my daughter coming home with them. What is the best way to approach the school. I am planning to see the Head this time. Any advice.

Thanks

OP posts:
jeee · 03/10/2014 12:39

So your DD is frequently coming home with headlice? Maybe the mother of your DD's friend thinks your DD is the source of the nit infection?

Oh, and the head should refuse to discuss other people's children with you. HTH.

LadySybilLikesCake · 03/10/2014 12:45

It's not the school's responsibility, it's the parents. I agree with jeee, the school shouldn't discuss this with you. You don't know what they are trying to do behind the scenes but it's rare that a school will do nothing.

petalunicorn · 03/10/2014 12:49

Yes this is a pain but what do you actually expect them to do? They can't treat the child and if the mum says she checks and treats then they can't call her a liar. Do you want them to exclude the child? Call Social Services?

All you can do is change what is in your control, tie your child's hair fully back e.g. a bun and tell them not to touch heads with anyone, use tea tree oil shampoo and regularly comb and condition.

Original poster
alisonb123 · 03/10/2014 12:52

I don't plan on discussing the child but I do plan on discussing the problem. It is well known where they are coming from and who the parent is that isn't treating their child. It's a very sad situation when children are being told to keep away from a child due to the negligence of their parents. I don't want it to get to that stage.

OP posts:
mrz · 03/10/2014 12:55

If you believe that your daughters friend is the source why don't you speak to the parent?
Unfortunately the school can't force parents to treat or even check their child for head lice.

Sidge · 03/10/2014 12:55

It's not really anything to do with the school.

They can't do anything apart from notify parents when a child in a certain class has headlice and ask the parents to comb and treat their child/ren.

A child can not and should not be excluded from school due to headlice.

Finola1step · 03/10/2014 12:58

Ok. This is how it goes.

One child regularly has head lice. Everyone can see. Everyone knows that the parents of said child are not treating the head lice properly. The child gets referred to school nurse. School nurse talks to the parent and offers advice.

The parent in question is convinced that are doing all they can. But they are not treating it as a family problem. Bedding and aren't being washed on a boil wash. Pillows aren't being replaced.

The problem continues. The family then get referred to social services. SS are so snowed under that they are only interested if there are other issues that need to be investigated as well or if the family is already known to them.

Meanwhile the child continues to suffer having head lice. The children around the child keep getting it. The teachers too. Ever wondered why so many primary school teachers either have short hair or hair always tied back?

And so the saga continues. In the middle of it all is a poor kid who has constant head lice.

I've worked in schools for 20 years. I would love to see the return of "The Nit Nurse" not just to inspect but to actually go into people's homes and teach them how to get rid of head lice properly.

So yes, it is understandable that you are frustrated. I bet the school is too. Good luck with trying to talk to the Headteacher about it. You could request that the school nurse runs a workshop on the matter.

SirChenjin · 03/10/2014 12:59

Unfortunately there is not a lot that the school can do - their hsnds are tied nowadays. All you can do is minimise the chances of your DD getting them - but I completely sympathise, after 3 years I'd be going ballistic too. Not treating your children's lice ridden hair is nothing short of neglect.

MinimalistMommi · 03/10/2014 13:05

The school can't do anything from what I understand, they're not allowed too.

Heels99 · 03/10/2014 13:07

Can you get nits off bedding and pillows?

MinimalistMommi · 03/10/2014 13:07

OP, all you can is keep combing through your DC hair regularly with nit comb to keep them at bay. Annoying, but there isn't anything else you can do. Make sure your DD's hair is not free flowing at school either and tied back.

SirChenjin · 03/10/2014 13:12

Heels - iirc you need to wash bedding and towels on a 90 degree cycle to kill them

workatemylife · 03/10/2014 13:15

Similar problem here. Messages come home from school with alarming regularity, and a few parents are also willing to email round the other mums and dads if they find headlice at home. I've done it - and seen the look of resignation on the class teacher's face when they are told on a morning that the little are back.

But same as alison, there is one child who always seems to have a head full of them. Maybe the parents try to get rid but keep getting re-infested from another source (could be anywhere - toddler groups with siblings, beavers / brownies etc) in which case I feel for them. But there is a suspicion that the parents just don't care, which is sad, and irritating when the rest of the class has to deal with it.

It is really hard though. If you can see lice crawling on another child's head, maybe you should talk to the parent, but I can't say I've had the courage. And the school can only inform parents in general, not take direct action. And yes, it is sad if children start to ostracise one individual as a result. I've never told my DC not to play with the child in question (for a start, even if s/he is the root cause, one case in a class probably means that others will end up with them too). But it has been tempting, especially after a lice-free summer holiday that ended with an infestation by the end of the first week of term.

LadySybilLikesCake · 03/10/2014 13:19

I nursed a child who's headlice were so severe her head ended up infected due to the scratching Sad I don't get parents who do nothing but hey ho.

tippytappywriter · 03/10/2014 13:22

Op. Take a not comb with you and go through the head's hair!
Really though what can the head say?
You just need to check your own child really frequently.

tippytappywriter · 03/10/2014 13:23

Nit comb!

Spidertracker · 03/10/2014 13:32

At least with nits the schools send a letter home.
My daughter frequently gets threadworms, it is terrible to see things crawling out of your child's body doing all you can just for it to come back.
She will get it, I treat us all, tell the school do 6 weeks of hygiene measures for everybody and the house. Then within a month she gets it back again. The school never even send a note home. I would like to think they change the sand and play dough but doubt they do.
I wouldn't be suprised if half the children in the class have them and the parents don't know. If there was as much awareness around threadworms as there was nits I am certain their prevalence would reduce.

Heels99 · 03/10/2014 13:46

Nhs website Says no need to hot wash or destroy bedding, towels etc.

Finola1step · 03/10/2014 14:08

Heels that's probably right. You don't have to but I would want to. But that's me.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 03/10/2014 14:50

Spidertracker - the threadworm tablets kill the live worms but not any eggs (a bit like Hedrin does for head lice) if your DD is getting them again within a month chances are that is simply the eggs hatching after your DD last took the tablet. I always give my two a second does after 2 weeks even if I haven't seen any sign of reinfection and that helps to keep them at bay (at least for a while).

Hakluyt · 03/10/2014 14:53

"Can you get nits off bedding and pillows?"

No.

Stewedcoot · 03/10/2014 14:59

Recently had head lice here (and they are rife at the school). So much so, that they have taken action and are doing full school inspections and anyone who is found to have lice is being sent home. (We live abroad so not sure if this is done in the Uk.) I know it sounds harsh but I am relieved frankly; it's so horrible to have to deal with and it's the only thing that will motivate parents to deal with it properly (ie receiving an unexpected call to come and collect.)

(Btw I've been boil washing sheets and towels and freezing toys. Why is there so much conflicting advice about this?)

OOAOML · 03/10/2014 15:07

I changed bedding when we had them - but that was more instinctive than because I thought I had to IYSWIM. I did read that they can't survive off heads but then read about someone who had kept one in a petri dish (I think that was on MN) and it carried on living for several days.

OOAOML · 03/10/2014 15:08

And now my head itches.....

Explored · 03/10/2014 15:26

When we had them (the first time) I wanted to disinfect everything, I even started wondering about how I was going to clean the sofa etc properly but all the advice I had/could find was that they can't survive away from the head, so there's no need to even wash bedding etc.

In our infants school, the Dc were all asked to take a comb in and they all combed their own heads over white paper. I was a bit Hmm TBH but once the children know they have them (and are upset about it) the parents are more likely to deal with it.

Whilst the school can't talk to another parent about it, they can offer advice/ask the school nurse to offer advice and if that's not followed, ultimately it becomes a child protection issue, not least because if nits are being left untreated it's very likely that here are other issues.

And yes, I itch now.

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