Disgusting!!

I received a letter from Maddox's school that has me (& other parents) pretty concerned.  We were not given an opportunity to voice our opinion prior to this policy, but apparently we are the last school district to adopt these practices. 

Apparently, the American Academy of Pediatrics along with the Clark County Public Health Department have determined that "head lice is not a health hazard and not responsible for the spread of any disease.  Infestation is principally a nuisance rather than a major threat to the student's well being.  Head lice are also the cause of many unnecessary days lost from school."  The school district has decreed that they will not check for head lice unless they have reason to suspect a problem and if found, children will BE SENT BACK TO CLASS WITH A LETTER TO TAKE HOME AT THE END OF THE DAY suggesting treatment options.  Suggesting?  How about demanding!  The whole thing is disgusting!!

Now I realize that lice can happen to any child.  That being said, let's remember exactly what lice is: bugs crawling in kids' hair.  Bugs!  I was lucky as I've never actually had lice before, but I did have a terrifying exposure that I wish I could forget:

During our annual camping trip each August, our family friend and hairdresser noticed (what turned out to be dead) lice in my cousin's hair.....the cousin I had been sharing a tent with for the entire week so far.  My mom freaked!  Reason be damned (as it has been determined standard shampoo can't eliminate the problem) she dragged me to the restroom and scrubbed my head raw with her talon-like fingernails for what seemed like 4 hours.  Luckily, although slightly bloody, my head was clean.

So how many days are children out of school that these public officials deem as "too much"?  Apparently, the remedy can be done in 1 day.  I believe that for the sake of all the other children, an infected child can afford to miss 1 day to take care of this problem. 

This letter has an underlying theme that anyone can contract head lice, no matter how dirty certain hair or households may be so there is no shame in it.  I agree with that.  However, just to spare certain kids embarrassment or an awkward situation is no reason to send these infected children back to class to spread this condition.  Are there any parents out there that are OK with this?  The parents I've talked with have contacted the school, but have been met with canned/scripted responses with zero emotion rendering the line "When we can work cooperatively and share ideas about what is working or not working..." completely condescending and useless.

You can bet this item will be on the agenda for the next PTA meeting on Wednesday.  Feel free to give me your thoughts so I can have multiple talking points.

Keep it classy Evergreen School District.