The AAP Says Children Can Be in School With Head Lice

The American Academy of Pediatrics has reported that it is unnecessary to send a child home because of what they suspect to be head lice. They say that head lice are not as contagious as the schools make it out to be and there is no medical reason for them to be taken out of school because of it. Head lice are most likely left over from summer camps and sleepovers and are past the contagious point. The AAP says that sending a child home because of head lice has never been effective.

Schools with no-nits policies do not have fewer cases of head lice than schools that have no-nits policies. Many times, a child is sent home from school for dandruff that is mistakenly diagnosed as head lice. Keeping a child home from school until they are nits-free takes away from their education and causes them to fall too far behind.

Treatments for head lice are not working as well as they used to, so it may take three treatments given a week apart in order to completely kill the lice. According to the AAP, as long as a child is receiving the treatment, they should be allowed in school.