MJUSD
DIVISION 5000
STUDENTS

HEAD LICE

The Governing Board believes that the District's head lice management program should emphasize the correct diagnosis and treatment of head lice in order to minimize disruption of the education process and to reduce the number of student absences resulting from infestation. In consultation with the school nurse, the Superintendent or designee may establish a routine screening program to help prevent the spread of head lice.

School employees shall report all suspected cases of head lice to the school nurse or designee as soon as possible. The nurse or designee shall examine the student and other students who are siblings of the affected student or members of the same household.

If a student is found with active, adult head lice, he/she shall be excluded from attendance. The parent/guardian of an excluded student shall receive information about recommended treatment procedures and sources of further information. The student shall be allowed to return to school the next day and shall be checked by the nurse or designee before returning to class. Once he/she is determined to be free of lice, the student shall be rechecked weekly for up to six (6) weeks.

The Superintendent or designee shall send home the notification required by law for excluded students. (Education Code 48213)

The principal and school nurse shall work with the parents/guardians of any student who has been deemed to be a chronic head lice case in order to help minimize the student's absences from school.

Staff shall maintain the privacy of students identified as having head lice and excluded from attendance.

Legal Reference:
Education Code
48210-48214 Persons excluded
49451 Parent's refusal to consent (physical examinations)
Management Resources:
American Academy of Pediatrics
Lice, Nits and School Policy, Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, May 2001
California Department of Health Services
Guidelines for Parents on Control of Head Lice, 2006
California School Nurses Organization
Position Statement: Pediculosis Management, 2005
Web Sites
Calif. Dept. of Health Services, Infectious Diseases Branch: http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/dcdc/disb/disbindex.htm
California School Nurses Organization: http://www.scno.org
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Parasitic Disease Information, Head Lice: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/lice

First Reading: 9/13/06

Governing Board Adoption: 10/11/06