Knox County Schools
Andrew Johnson Building
Health Services
HEAD LICE INFORMATION
Name of Student _________________________________________________
Date __________________________
Dear Parent:
Your child was found to have head lice by one of our staff.
We are sending you this information in order to assure your child receives proper diagnosis and treatment, and to minimize the spread
of head lice to other children.
Head lice are very common in school-aged children. Anyone can get head lice, and getting head lice has nothing to do with cleanliness
or length of hair. Head lice are passed from person to person through direct contact, or less commonly from shared items (brushes,
combs, hats, clothes). Head lice are not dangerous, and they do not transmit diseases, but they can be irritating and sometimes can
lead to minor skin infections from scratching. Head lice are found only in humans and are not transmitted from animals. To prevent
the spread of head lice, instruct your child never to borrow personal items such as combs, brushes, hats, head phones,
clothing, or towels from other people.
Head lice are small grayish crawling bugs that live in the hair. The main symptom of head lice is itching, so you should look for head
lice if your school-aged child is scratching his/her head a lot. They do not jump or fly, but crawl very quickly and are very hard to see.
The lice lay eggs, (called "nits") which stick to the hair with a glue-like substance. Nits look like tiny white or brown specks, and they
are difficult to remove from the hair shaft, which is one way to distinguish them from dandruff or other debris (which comes off the hair
easily). Lice and nits are most commonly seen close to the scalp behind the ears and at the back hairline at the neck. Nits hatch into
live bugs in 10 to 14 days. You need a good light to find the lice and nits, and it is often helpful to have a magnifying lens.
If your child has head lice, he/she should be treated as soon as possible. Check other household members, and treat anyone else
who appears to have head lice. Head lice are easily treated.
Treatment of Head Lice:
•Choose an over-the-counter lice treatment, available without a prescription (NIX, RID, Clear, Not So Nice to Lice, Lice Be Gone and
many others). Follow the instructions on the package very carefully.
•Use a nit comb to comb out as many nits as possible. The nits are not always killed by the treatment and those that cannot be
removed may hatch later. Therefore, it is usually necessary to re-treat in two weeks.
•Lice can survive off the body for a day or two and are killed by heat. Therefore you should wash all hats, clothes, sheets, pillowcases,
towels, etc. which might have come in contact with your child. Wash items in hot water, and/or dry in the dryer for at least 20 minutes.
Any item that cannot be washed or put in the dryer (e.g. stuffed animals) should be sealed in a plastic bag for two weeks.
•Clean all combs, brushes, picks, hair bows, etc. in very hot soapy water or lice shampoo. Leave in the hot water for at least 10
minutes.
•Vacuum wherever your child has been (including furniture, in the car) and then discard the vacuum bag.
•Specialized lice sprays are not necessary and may be toxic.
•Other treatments which have not been proven effective: Tea tree oil, olive oil, petrolatum jelly, mayonnaise and vinegar.
•Your child may return to school the day following treatment. Bring a note stating that the child has been treated and the name of the
product used. A physician's note stating that the child has been treated is acceptable also, but not required. It is not necessary to
keep your child out of school if he/she still has nits.
______________________________________________
Principal
____________________________________________
School Nurse
White Copy – Parent
Canary Copy – CR
AD–H–302 (8/07)
P.O. Box 2188 • 912 South Gay Street • Knoxville, Tennessee 37901-2188 • Telephone (865) 594-1800