LiceDoctors Reports Sacramento and San Diego, California Drop "No Nit" School Lice Policies

Sacramento, CA, November 25, 2013 --(PR.com)-- According to research conducted by LiceDoctors Head Lice Treatment Service, many schools in the Sacramento and San Diego areas have adopted less stringent regulations about head lice attendance in school for children who have been diagnosed with head lice nit. The reason behind this policy change is that both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses have recommended that schools drop their "no nit" policies as they believe that students are missing too much school for no good reason. These organizations say that by the time a case of head lice is diagnosed, the child has likely been in school for a few weeks so has already exposed other kids to the case. Also, nits are not transferable, only live bugs are.

The California State Department of Health goes farther than other states in recommending that students with live lice be allowed to stay in school until the end of the day. Some districts across the state have adopted this lenient policy while others have "no nit" policies or "nit only but no live lice" policies in place. Schools in states including Texas, Tennessee, Connecticut, New York, Washington, and Colorado and others have also dropped their "no nit" policies.

In September 2010, the school board in Sacramento, California changed the district’s head lice policy. Up until that point, the district maintained a “no nit policy.” Since the Center for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Association of School Nurses, and the California Department of Public Health concurred that “no nit” policies were not recommended, the Sacramento school board voted to allow students with head lice to return to school after treatment options have been used.

San Diego Schools maintain a liberal policy regarding head lice cases. San Diego public schools’ policy states on the district web site that, “Children with identified live head lice are referred for treatment at the end of the school day. Until the end of the school day, avoid activity that includes head-to-head contact with other children or sharing of any headgear.” This policy is in sync with the California state guidelines. Children are allowed to return to school after the “child has received the treatment recommended by the child’s health professional. A trained staff member rechecks the student before returning to class.” The district does not have a "no nit" policy and students with live bugs can even stay in school until the end of the day.

In nearby towns including Encinitas, Carlsbad, Escondido, and Oceanside, children with nits are now allowed to remain in school. Only students with live lice are sent home. LiceDoctors owner, Wendy Beck, comments, "This is a departure from school policies of the past. Schools were afraid of children with head lice passing along a case to another student. Now with the backing of the American Academy of Pediatricians, schools have loosened their admission policy so that few children will miss school. This is a double-edge sword. Parents don't want their children kept home if they have been treated, on the other hand, if a child is not properly treated, he or she will still be contagious."

LiceDoctors recommends that parents contact your local school nurse to ascertain your school's current lice policy. LiceDoctors comes to your home to treat families with head lice. LiceDoctors can be reached at 800-224-2537