IMPERIAL — Procedures related to the treatment of head lice and their eggs has been addressed after five students from Ben Hulse Elementary School were sent home this week, a school district official said Friday.
None of the students had head lice but apparently showed signs of having nits — or louse eggs — that required immediate treatment and led to the students being sent home on Thursday, said Bryon Thomason, assistant superintendent of the Imperial Unified School District. The students were expected to be let back in once they’ve been medically cleared, Thomason said.
But two actual head lice cases have been reported in the past month and a half and also came from Ben Hulse Elementary School, Thomason said.
While the number of head lice-related cases appears unusually large, Thomason said the majority of the reports are the result of the district’s strict “no nit” policy, which aggressively calls for having any student sent home upon detection of the tiny insects’ eggs and requires their removal.
Head lice typically live on the scalp and are spread by close contact with people.
Procedures set in place for the treatment of the pest have been closely followed in recent weeks, Thomason assured.
“We’re following the protocol,” Thomason said. “We normally do and notify the parents.”
Imperial County Public Health Department officials were notified about the cases, Thomason said.
But department spokeswoman Andrea Bowers explained that the incidence of head lice “is not a reportable condition.”
As a result there is no data available on the number of such cases at school districts in the county, Bowers said.
“What we’ll advise is to refer the child to a primary care provider,” Bowers said.
Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at 760-337-3442 or at reached at spanta@ivpressonline.com
None of the students had head lice but apparently showed signs of having nits — or louse eggs — that required immediate treatment and led to the students being sent home on Thursday, said Bryon Thomason, assistant superintendent of the Imperial Unified School District. The students were expected to be let back in once they’ve been medically cleared, Thomason said.
But two actual head lice cases have been reported in the past month and a half and also came from Ben Hulse Elementary School, Thomason said.
While the number of head lice-related cases appears unusually large, Thomason said the majority of the reports are the result of the district’s strict “no nit” policy, which aggressively calls for having any student sent home upon detection of the tiny insects’ eggs and requires their removal.
Head lice typically live on the scalp and are spread by close contact with people.
Procedures set in place for the treatment of the pest have been closely followed in recent weeks, Thomason assured.
“We’re following the protocol,” Thomason said. “We normally do and notify the parents.”
Imperial County Public Health Department officials were notified about the cases, Thomason said.
But department spokeswoman Andrea Bowers explained that the incidence of head lice “is not a reportable condition.”
As a result there is no data available on the number of such cases at school districts in the county, Bowers said.
“What we’ll advise is to refer the child to a primary care provider,” Bowers said.
Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at 760-337-3442 or at reached at spanta@ivpressonline.com
