29143 Auberry Road
Sierra Unified School District
Prather, CA 93651
Telephone (559) 855-3662 FAX (559) 855-3585 web site – http://www.sierra.k12.ca.us
Board of Trustees
Don Fowler Robert Franklin Rosemary Lee Stan Neal Bud Olson Norman Saude Jerry Schroer
Superintendent Michael Gardner, Ph.D. Director of Educational Services and Special Programs Dr. A.J. Rempel
Dear Parent/Guardian: During a screening examination, your child was found to have head lice or nits (eggs). Head lice do not carry any disease, and their presence does not indicate poor hygiene. Head lice can infest anyone. To prevent further spread of head lice to other students, this condition should be treated immediately. According to District Policy, your child may not return to class until the infestation has been properly treated. You may wish to consult your family physician, a local pharmacist, the school nurse, or follow the recommendations below. In addition, you should inspect the entire family for head lice as your child may have spread it to other members. Upon return to school, your child will be inspected to determine that the head lice infestation no longer exists. This means that your child must be free of all lice and viable nits (eggs). Basic Head Louse Control Recommendations 1. Live lice must be removed or killed. Mechanically removing head lice is the most effect treatment and can be accomplished using a special, fine-toothed comb which requires no use of pesticides. This method is time consuming but can be made easier after the application of ordinary hair conditioner. Various creams and shampoos which contain pesticides are available over the counter for treatment of head lice. These treatments are not always effective and may cause reactions in some children. There are two or three products available by prescription only, which are known to be quite effective at killing head lice. The prescription products also contain pesticides. Recently several over-the-counter brands of head lice shampoos have become available which claim to be non-toxic and effective at killing lice. No known scientific reports exist as to their efficacy. 2. Eggs (nits) of head lice must be removed from the child's hair. This step is the most crucial and will require most of your time and effort. There is no known product available over- the-counter which kills head lice eggs. Eggs must be removed using a fine-toothed comb or tweezers.
3. Your child's bedding, clothes, and towels must be washed in warm soapy water and dried in a dryer on the "high heat" cycle. This step must be completed on the same day as above steps. Any personal items such as toys or stuffed animals which cannot be laundered must be sealed in a plastic bag for two weeks. Although head lice live only on humans, this step will kill any lice or eggs which may have recently fallen off your child's head. Vacuuming carpets and furniture may also help. Head Lice Information During any school year there can be outbreaks of head lice. Higher risk factors include aged 3-11, female, straight hair versus curly hair, clean versus dirty hair, large family and recently returning from vacation or summer camp. We urge you to check your family and report any cases of lice to the school nurse so that other students may be checked. The information below will help you determine if your child has lice. What are head lice? Head lice are tiny, wingless, grayish-tan insects that live and breed in human hair only. The eggs, called nits, are easier to see than the lice themselves and are usually found firmly attached to hair shafts close to the scalp behind the ears and on the back of the head. Nits cannot be brushed or washed away like dirt or dandruff. Head lice can only survive for about 12 hours without a human scalp and CANNOT live on pets. How do they spread? Head lice are contagious. They spread through the sharing of personal items such as combs, brushes, scarves, hats, sleeping bags, and stuffed animals. To reduce the risk of lice outbreaks remind your child not to share these items. How are they detected? The first clue that a child has head lice is frequent scratching of the scalp. To check for lice, carefully examine the hair around the back of the neck and behind the ears. Since head lice shy away from light, you may only see their nits, small whitish ovals of uniform size attached to the hair shaft. For more complete information please feel free to contact the Health Office at your child’s school. Information on controlling head lice can also be found on the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention web site at http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/. Sincerely, Sierra Unified School District, Health Office Staff Amy Piper, RN, PHN Sierra Unified School District Nurse