COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — As students head back to school, many parents might not be aware of the latest lice policies issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC has recently updated its guidelines on how schools and families should handle head lice infestations. One significant change is that students with head lice no longer need to be sent home early from school. Students are now allowed to finish the school day, receive a home lice treatment and return to class as soon as the following morning.
When it comes to the “no-nit” policies of the past the health organization along with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses advocate for discontinuing children to be completely free of nits before returning to school.
The CDC states that while nits (lice eggs) may remain in the hair after treatment, successful treatment should kill the crawling lice, significantly reducing the risk of transmission.
