School Tells Parents to Send Kids to School With Lice — The CDC, AAP, and NASN Agrees

A Redditor who posted to the site's r/mildyinfuriating sub claims that their school district wants parents to send their children to class, even if they have head lice. User @pandatr0nz uploaded a screenshot of purported correspondence from the district indicating as such.

It's a decision OP states was precipitated by the district in order "to meet attendance goals." The letter, which is titled, "Health Guidance for Going to School" goes on to state that "showing up to school every day is critical for children's well-being, engagement and learning."

Furthermore, it went on to list that school children shouldn't miss a day of attendance if they:

• Have a mild cold, which may include a runny nose and/or cough.
• Have eye drainage without fever, eye pain, or eyelid redness.
• Have a mild stomachache.
• Have a mild rash with no other symptoms.
• Have head lice. Though they are annoying and should be treated, lice are not a reason to exclude a child from school.
• Haven't had a fever overnight and they have not taken fever-reducing medicine during that time.

Additionally, the letter reads that parents should "avoid keeping children at home unless they are too sick to participate." Further, the notice informs parents that "a health-care provider's note is not needed to return."

Anxiety concerns were also addressed in the same flier, which reads that "children may also avoid school due to anxiety ... If you are worried that your child may be suffering from anxiety, talk with your teacher, the school nurse, social worker, or other school staff to discuss the challenge and identify what can help your child stay in school."

At the very end of the notice, the district also stated that parents/guardians with children who suffer from compromised immune systems should work out a plan with their healthcare provider that'll ensure their children can be kept "healthy and safe while attending school."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long maintained that children with head lice do not need to be sent home early from school or miss days of school. On the health institute's website, recommended guidelines delineate why students with lice on their scalp don't pose a significant threat to other students.

"CDC's guidance has not changed — you do not need to send students with head lice infestation home early from school ... Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses advocate to discontinue 'no-nit' policies."

The "nits" are the "egg of a head louse," according to the Mayo Clinic. Some school protocols mandated that if children are to return to school after testing positive for head lice, that their scalps must be free of these tiny eggs.

However, the CDC delineated why nits aren't a major cause of concern in the classroom for several reasons.

First, nits are "unlikely to hatch to become crawling lice, or may in fact be empty shells." Furthermore, these nits probably won't be transferred to other people, due to the fact that they hatch at the shaft of a hair follicle.

Also, the CDC writes that folks will commonly "misdiagnose ... nits" if they are a "nonmedical professional."

Like the purported school district notice shared by the Reddit user indicates, the CDC also references chronic absenteeism in schools. "Unnecessary days off cause a burden to ... students, families, and communities," the health institute penned.

Keeping children out of school due to head lice "far outweighs the risks associated with head lice," the CDC went on to write.

As far as treating head lice goes, while the CDC didn't recommend one at-home treatment over another, it did indicate that there are several "over-the-counter and prescription products ... available." And ultimately, folks should consult with their doctor to see which lice-killing solution will be best for them and their family members.

The American Academy of Pediatrics went on to state that stigmatizing children with head lice by quarantining/isolating them from their classmates may cause long-term psychological damage. Despite the AAP, CDC, and NASN all stating that children with head lice should remain in school and be treated at home without missing attendance dates, a bunch of Reddit users thought they knew better than these institutions.

"Head lice is not a minor issue. It needs to be contained when found so there is no infestation because they breed like roaches!" a user who goes by @Pleasant_Internet_54 penned in response to the shared image.