If your son came home from school and told you 5 of his classmates have lice?

Question

Would you send him to school the next day.

Well the school nurse checked his class today and that's what happened. I am not sending him tomorrow. I called the principal and he was not very concerned about the "outbreak".

No requirments for staying at home. Also they sent all the smocks from art class home with the kids, saying wash them. i say they should have thrown them out.

Answer 1

Yes, I would still send my kid to school. I would make sure to tell him not to wear someone else's hat or share things such as brushes and combs. Were the 5 classmates female since it so much easier for girls to get it because of their long hair. It is actually harder for a kid to catch lice at school then you think.

Lice can't jump and die after 24 hrs. without a host. So it takes head to head contact or contact with a hair that has a live egg on it and the egg then has to hatch while in contact with your sons head. This outbreak could have been caused by a sleep over where heads were actual touching.

There would be no reason to throw out the smocks. Wash items in hot water and then putting them in the dryer for at least 20 min. kills any lice and eggs.

Answer 2

Keeping him home is the worst thing you can do, because his grades will suffer. Besides, it's headlice, not the plague.

Boys have a harder time contracting lice because their hair is normally shorter, which offers less of an opportunity to contract it. Besides, he might already be infested with them. It's the nits the nurse finds that guarantees someone has it. That means the lice are mostly female, have mated, and laid eggs. Your son could have male lice, and since their life cycle is around a month, he'll have an itchy head but no proof of lice(no nits).

Oh, and as to lice dying after 24 hours without a host, that's false. I combed a live louse out of my daughter's hair(that's how I knew she was infested), and it lasted in a glass bottle for almost a week.

If you're really paranoid, don't send him to school, but don't yell at him when his grades or friendships suffer.

Answer 3

Well i think you should send him, but go to the chemist and get some preventitive spray, or some teetree oil in his hair. (lice hate the smell of this and dont tend to jump onto hair thats smelly)

Kids have lice at school ALL the time, just because your nurse checked today doesnt mean your son hasnt already been to school hundreds of times while his friends have lice.

Just tell him to keep his hair away from other kids hair, dont share hats or brushes and get the preventitive stuff, comb his hair everyday when he gets home (before he sits on any couches etc) and he will be fine.....

Lice dont go away overnight, not sending him to school for one day isnt going to change the situation. Just be thankfull you dont have a daughter with really long hair!

xxx

Answer 4

From what I understand most of the time lice can be treated pretty easily with shampoo, without seeing a doctor. I would hope the school either requires the other kids to stay home until it is cleared up or at least make sure they are being treated.

Answer 5

If the students with lice are sent home and had a nit treatment put through their hair then your child should be right... as a precaution i would run a nit treatment through his hair. Also tell him not to share any hats...etc. Then he should be right.

I would propably keep him home tomorrow, give him the nit treatment, also wash his smock... this should keep them at bay. and if the smocks are washed and clean there should be no need to be worried.

Good luck

Answer 6

If 5 kids had lice today, you can bet that the lice jumped to some more kids....

I hate bugs, especially ones on me.. or my kid. So, yea, I'd keep him home for the rest of the week...

Answer 7

I think no matter what, when your little one is in school, he is in danger of getting lice. I'd send him, and hope he doesn't get it, check him every day, and make sure you have lice shampoo on hand! Good Luck!

Answer 8

The principal should be concerned! Five kids can turn into 100 before you know it. I'd keep him at home too!

Answer 9

I would call the school to make sure..
if so, i would tell my son he couldnt go there anymore and bring him to a docter for a check up

if not, i would just send him back to school

Answer 10

I send him to school,but when he come back from school he will wash his hair with anti lice shampoo,and also report the concern author ties