Published: December 03, 2007 10:40 pm      

CITY OF TONAWANDA: Parents outraged over lice

Parents of Highland Elementary School pupils are calling for the Tonawanda City School District to get down to the nitty-gritty on head lice.

Presently, students are allowed to come to school if they have nits, the eggs of a louse, on their head. One parent says that policy has allowed half the children in her daughter’s first-grade class to be infected with lice — not just once, but repeatedly.

“It fits the definition of an epidemic in the classroom,” said one parent, who did not want to be identified. She said she would prefer to keep her 6-year-old daughter from going back into the classroom until the problem is resolved.

She is among several parents asking the district’s board of education to adopt a no-nit policy, which would require that a child be sent home from school if a nit is discovered, because it could hatch and spread. They say they will ask the Tonawanda Board of Education to review its current policy if nothing is done by its next meeting, which is Dec. 11.

Superintendent Barbara Peters could not be reached Monday to comment.

However, a district spokesperson said Tonawanda’s policy is based upon the recommendation of the school physician and is similar to many other area districts.

Still, for the parent, it’s a major safety issue.

“I want to be able to send my kid to school with a reasonable expectation that she’s not going to get repeatedly infected with head lice,” she said. “I’m not going to put my kid in that situation.”

There is also concern about the amount of chemicals they have to put on their children’s head to get the lice out.

“The classroom reeks because of all the stuff people are putting on their kids head,” she said. She said she had to wash all of her daughter’s clothing the moment she came home from school. “My kid’s sleeping in a sleeping bag on a bare mattress.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics disputes the no-nit policy in general, saying, “there is no medical evidence to support (a no-nit) position.”

The National Pediculosis Association, a consumer organization, also advocates the no-nit policy.

“Early intervention provides the needed assurance for those who have successfully eliminated an infestation that everything possible is being done to prevent new outbreaks when children return to groups where close contact is inevitable,” the organization states on its Web site. “Repeated exposures to pesticidal products put children at risk,” it continues, especially for children with certain medical conditions.

The no-nit policy does not aim to single out a child who may be the source of the problem, the NPA states.

“For the child whose family is unable, for whatever reason, to comply with the policy, the ‘system’ must go the extra mile to ensure the child is able to return to their group lice and nit free.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics, however, has a different perspective. The AAP discourages no-nit policies because they may cause a child to miss several weeks of school and possibly even repeat a grade because of head lice.

“Although not painful or a serious health hazard, head lice are the cause of much embarrassment and misunderstanding, many unnecessary days lost from school and work and millions of dollars spent on remedies,” the AAP said in a 2002 clinical report.

For another parent, who also asked not to be named, her child has been in school only eight days so far this year because of the problem.

“She’s missed out on the socialization and games,” she said, adding that it’s “basically bug spray” she’s putting on her child’s head. “Her routine was definitely disrupted. My routine was disrupted. I was let go from my job because of the days I missed. The amount of money I’ve spent (on treatments) has definitely been a burden.”

Contact reporter David J. Hill at 693-1000, ext. 115.