Parents Please Read- 2.6.15
I am writing to let you know that we have one confirmed case of head lice. You will want to check your daughter’s scalp to ensure that she does not have it.
The CDC provides the following information:
Head-to-head contact with an already infested person is the most common way to get head lice. Head-to-head contact is common during play at school, at home, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp).
Although uncommon, head lice can be spread by sharing clothing or belongings. This happens when lice crawl, or nits attached to shed hair hatch, and get on the shared clothing or belongings. Examples include:
- sharing clothing (hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms) or articles (hair ribbons, barrettes, combs, brushes, towels, stuffed animals) recently worn or used by an infested person;
- or lying on a bed, couch, pillow, or carpet that has recently been in contact with an infested person.
Dogs, cats, and other pets do not play a role in the spread of head lice.
A recent blurb from the news indicated that head lice is on the rise among adolescents because of their photo-taking of “selfies,” in which kids put their heads together for pictures.
If your daughter has head lice, it is important to treat her before she returns to school. Please begin treatment as soon as possible. Exclude your daughter from attendance at school (or outside events) until one day after her first treatment with a medicated head lice product (over-the-counter or prescription). Students may not return to school until they are free of head lice.
For more information regarding head lice, please refer to information on the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/gen_info/faqs.html
Thank you,
Cynthia Cost
Dean of Students, St. Francis High School