When we were kids, getting lice was the worst. There’s nothing fun about having bugs crawl and lay eggs on your scalp.
The ONLY okay part about it was that you got to stay home from school until you were lice-free. But now, according to new guidelines, it’s advised that kids with lice should actually stay in school.
In a research paper, they found the school policy of sending kids home with lice or nits to be "outdated." Instead of the bugs causing harm, the real danger is the damage caused by social exclusion.
Just consider Meredith from The Office for a moment. Her character is known for being, well, raunchy, dirty, and from a low-income background.
Michael Scott once joked that the kid was never going to college and everyone quietly agreed. Then, no one was surprised when it was discovered that her son had grown up to become a male stripper.
The AAP's point is that excluding children with lice from school opens them up to scrutiny from their classmates who may look at them as "dirty."
"In addition, head lice infestations have been shown to have low contagion in classrooms."
There are many myths about lice, including how they can jump from head to head. The truth is that they crawl.
The reason? "Such policies would have negative consequences for children’s or adolescents’ academic progress." It can take weeks to get rid of lice. That's a lot of missed school.
The AAP continued on, specifying that “lice are neither a health hazard nor a sign of poor hygiene and are not responsible for the spread of any disease."
Social exclusion causes more harm than lice ever could. This only hinders the children and "results in children and adolescents being ostracized from their schools, friends, and other social events."
So, what should be done? School policies have to change first, of course. But if your child has lice, there are many new medications that work extremely fast.
They're probably scared and don't want to feel like the "odd one out." So be sure to reassure them that everything is okay and then work to treat the problem.
H/T: AAP
