Lice Education

from the WRUD School Nurses

The Vermont Department of Health advises school nurses to stop doing full-class, in-school head lice checks. Instead, parents and caregivers are encouraged to check children at home regularly throughout the year.Key Prevention Tips

• Avoid Head-to-Head Contact: This is the easiest way lice spread. Remind children to keep their heads apart when looking at cell phones, tablets, or videos together, during class, and at sleepovers.
• No Sharing: Remind children not to share hats, combs, brushes, pillows, or hair accessories.

How to Check Your Child's Hair

• Use Bright Lighting: Nits (eggs) are tiny (resembling small specks) and range from brownish to white. They stick to the hair shaft near the scalp.
• Go Slowly: Check strand by strand.
• Spotting Live Lice: They are very small (about the size of a grain of rice or smaller), crawl (they do not fly or hop), and are light-to-dark brown with an oval shape.
• Removal: Standard nit combs often miss tiny eggs. Gently removing them with your fingers or fingernails is very effective.

What to Do If Lice or Nits Are Found

• Treat Before Returning to School: Use an over-the-counter lice treatment product or consult your pediatrician for recommendations.
• In-Home Precautions:
• Bag stuffed animals and pillows, and leave the bag outside for multiple days.
• Wash clothing, hats, bed sheets, pillowcases, and towels in very hot water, then dry on high heat.
• Vacuum fabric furniture, rugs, and car seats.
• Keep Checking: Continue performing frequent (even nightly) hair checks and remove any remaining eggs. It takes only one surviving egg to hatch and continue the cycle.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your school nurse:

• Susan Schuhmann, South Royalton Campus – 802-763-7740 ext. 2013
• Rattana Chaokhote, Bethel Campus – 802-234-9966