Lice hatch trouble at school

About 80 students have been reported with head lice at Hawes Elementary School, prompting the Huntington Beach City School District to send in extra health clerks and call a meeting for parents Friday.

The outbreak started earlier this month and continued with five more cases reported Monday and Tuesday, Supt. Kathy Kessler said. She added that she didn’t know how the cases began at Hawes, but said lice is often spread by close contact, including sharing combs, hats or other objects.

“We have no idea why one school would have more trouble than another school,” Kessler said. “It’s not unusual to have lice show up at a school site where a lot of students are congregated.”

Health clerks, who inspected all Hawes students for lice in the previous weeks, were in their second round of inspections this week. The school has scheduled an informational meeting for parents at 3:30 p.m. Friday on campus.

The district follows what Kessler termed a “no nit” policy, meaning students are sent home if they have either hatched lice or eggs in their hair. If any student is found to have lice in the current round of inspections, Kessler said, that student’s entire class will be inspected again.

According to district nurse Melissa Giles, lice outbreaks are not uncommon in elementary schools, where students are often in close contact with one another.

The current outbreak, she noted, is not the biggest one she’s handled in her four years with the district.

“It’s pretty difficult to prevent it if kids are hanging out with their friends that have it,” Giles said. “Probably the best way to avoid it is to avoid sharing brushes, combs, hats, jackets, anything that goes from one head to another.”

Although lice often causes itchy scalps, it doesn’t pose a health threat, Giles added. Still, she said parents should take as many precautions as they can to keep their kids from spreading the problem.

She recommended that parents wash an infected child’s clothing in hot water, wash all the linens in the house, vacuum upholstery and bag stuffed animals and other soft toys for about two weeks.

Lice can be treated with over-the-counter medication, which usually comes with shampoo and a comb. Giles said parents should go through a child’s hair strand by strand and pick out the eggs because the comb often misses them.

“Parents should not feel confident that they’ve gotten everything with just one sitting,” she said. “It can take several hours at a sitting, and they may have to pace it over several days.”

Tips For Treating Lice

If there is a lice outbreak in your community, here are some tips from Huntington Beach City School District nurse Melissa Giles:

 Avoid sharing caps, combs, batting helmets or other head wear.

 Avoid sleepovers.

 If someone in your home has lice, wash his or her clothes in hot water, wash all linens in hot water, vacuum upholstery and bag stuffed animals and other soft toys for about two weeks.