School has officially begun. Hot lunch orders are due, picture day reminders have been sent home, teams are actively looking for participants and oh, I almost forgot, we have received our first notice of lice in the classroom.
I will be preparing the “For Sale” sign on the house if those bugs find their way in here. I am simply not equipped to add, search for tiny, wingless bugs that hop from one head to the next causing extreme irritation to the scalp to my list of things to do. Sorry lice, you are not welcome here.
The public health notice we’ve received several years consecutively offers some helpful tips on how to control the spread of the wee beasties, signs and symptoms to look for and frequently asked questions, answered.
“Do I have to remove all the nits?”
Answer: There is conflicting information about the need to remove nits.
By conflicting, I’m assuming some say it’s necessary to remove nits, others say it isn’t? Just for fun, if we do get lice, I’ll probably opt to remove the nits. Those of you who choose not to will find yourselves engaged in conflict with me.
“Some schools and daycares have no nit policies.”
Please God, let our school be one of them. I could not find mention anywhere on the school website, the parent council outline or the student handbook under “Nit removal,” “Nit or No Nit,” “Good Bugs, Bad Nits,” but I’m hoping that page was torn out to shield my child’s head from someone chasing her with their hairbrush or computer headset. Whether the school agrees or not, I’m going to have to enforce the no tolerance for nits policy in this house. Do you hear that nits? You will not be tolerated.
“Many people also remove nits for aesthetic reasons.”
Good point. Nobody wants to be nicknamed “Nit” or “Nitty” for the remainder of the school year.
“They feed on your blood.”
Really, I thought we were done with vampires?
“Head lice feed from the scalp and need a certain temperature and humidity range to survive.”
I knew that humidex would come in handy. As long as it continues to suck every drop of moisture out of this house, we might have a fighting chance against Team Nit.
