Just the Facts: Head Lice

In a clinical report that contradicts current policy at many U.S. schools, the AAP states that no healthy child should be excluded from school because of head lice, arguing that these policies cause children to miss weeks of school—and some to even repeat a grade.

Presently many U.S. schools enforce a “no-nit” policy, meaning that students must stay home until their hair is free of the yellowish-white lice eggs known as nits. These tiny eggs attach themselves firmly to individual hair shafts and are difficult to remove. So stubborn are nits that they can survive the prescription or over-the-counter shampoos used to eliminate adult lice. Nit removal, a tedious and exhausting process, requires either a fine-toothed comb or that you pluck them out individually using tweezers.

Despite the inconveniences caused by lice and nits, children carrying them pose little risk to others, reminds the AAP. In fact, a child with an active head-lice infestation is likely to have had the infestation for a month or more by the time it’s discovered. As long as children with lice are discouraged from having direct head contact with others—and this includes sharing hats or brushes—they should be allowed to remain in class, says the AAP.

What Is Head Lice?
Head lice (or pediculosis) are tiny, wingless bugs about the size of a sesame seed that range in color from brown to gray. They live only on the human scalp and have six legs with tiny claws that allow them to grasp hair shafts. Head lice are parasitic, meaning they need to extract small amounts of blood from their host in order to survive. If deprived of blood, an adult louse living at room temperature will die in a day or so.