Staff → Healthroom
Each year children at Burning Tree Elementary School get head lice. Children play in close contact with each other, exchange personal items and sleep over at each others homes. Be alert for the signs of head lice. The most common sign is intense itching on the back of the neck and head. If you observe your child scratching, check the head for nits (the eggs of head lice) attached to the hair shaft. The tiny yellowish white or grayish white nits are shaped like a tiny teardrop speck. The female attaches the nits to the hair shaft close to the scalp with a glue-like substance that makes it difficult to remove. Ordinary combing, shampooing or brushing will not shake them. Inspect the hair and scalp of all family members who live in the same house. If lice are found, use a special over-the-counter treatment called a pediculicide. Use it according to directions. After the treatment and after drying the hair, the nits may be removed with a special nit comb. Your child's head should be checked daily for two weeks to be sure the lice have been eliminated. Wash all lice-exposed clothes, towels and bed linens. Dry in a hot dryer. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for ten minutes. Items that cannot be washed can be sealed in plastic bags for ten days. Vacuum carpets, upholstery, pillows, mattresses and car seats that have been exposed to persons with head lice.