Texas Department of Health and Human Services:

Head Lice (Pediculosis) Fact Sheets - English

What Are Lice? # E05-12864 (color)
How Do I Know if My Child Has Lice and How Did They Get It? # E05-12865 (color)
What Should I Do If My Child Has Lice? # E05-12866 (color)
How Do I Keep Lice From Coming Back? # E05-12867 (color)
Misconceptions and Truths about Lice Treatment # E05-12868 (color)
Lice Resources # E05-12869 (color)

Hojas Informativas Sobre los Piojos en la Cabeza - En Español

¿Qué son los piojos? # E05-12864 (color)
¿Cómo sé si mi hijo tiene piojos en la cabeza? Y, de ser así, ¿cómo se le pegaron?
# E05-12865 (color)
¿Qué debo hacer si creo que mi hijo tiene piojos en la cabeza? # E05-12866 (color)
¿Cómo evito que vuelvan los piojos? # E05-12867 (color)
Mitos, ideas erróneas y verdades sobre el tratamiento de los piojos de la cabeza
# E05-12868 (color)
Recursos sobre los piojos de la cabeza # E05-12869 (color)

What are lice?

Head lice, although not an illness or a disease, is very common among school-aged children and may be spread through head-to-head contact during play, sports, or nap time, and when children share things like brushes, combs, hats, and headphones.

Head lice do not jump or fly and are most commonly contracted by head-to-head contact. Head lice are commonly found in school-aged children, so parents/guardians should routinely monitor their students for live lice at home.

Head lice are not a sign of poor hygiene. Please take a few minutes to regularly check your child's head for lice and nit (eggs). Lice can be very hard to see because they are so small and often look like dandruff. The easiest way to differentiate nits from dandruff is the ease with which you can remove them from the hair shaft. Dandruff can be easily "picked" off while nits are stuck onto the hair shaft and require much more effort to remove. Lice can be hard to see as well because they are small, approximately the size of a sesame seed, and they will move quickly to avoid light.

School Policy

Tornillo ISD follows the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Texas Department of State Health for the treatment of lice and school attendance guidelines for students who are identified with head lice.

Students will not be excluded from school due to head lice as Tornillo ISD does not enforce a “No-nit” policy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) support that there is little evidence that exclusion from school reduces the transmission of head lice (Texas Department of State Health Services, 2007, 2014). For additional information, please review Tornillo ISD Lice Prevention, Control, and Treatment Policy.

Students identified with head lice may complete the school day and information addressing lice management and treatment is sent home for the student and parent or legal guardian. The state does urge school districts not to cause children to miss class unnecessarily or encourage the embarrassment and isolation of students who suffer from repeated head lice.

Mass screenings for head lice are not done in school. They impede the educational process and are not necessary. No disease is associated with head lice, and in-school transmission is considered to be low. When transmission occurs, it is generally found among young children with increased head-to-head contact. Head lice occur worldwide and among all socioeconomic groups.

School Guidelines

In accordance with TDHS, if live lice are found on a student’s head, the school nurse will contact the student’s parent to discuss a plan for treatment with an FDA-approved, over-the-counter treatment that may be purchased from any drug or grocery store. After the student has undergone treatment, the parent should check in with the school nurse to discuss the treatment used.

For Elementary school students, a school letter will be sent home to the student’s parent and to the entire classroom, alerting other parents to check their children for lice. If nits are found, a letter will go home only to the parent of the student. An anonymous letter will also be provided to parents of school students in the affected classroom. Upon return to school, the student will be reassessed. Parents/guardians will be notified as needed. Absences due to delayed treatment will not be excused.

Classroom or school-wide checks have not been found to be effective in lice management and the practice is not supported by the AAP or the CDC. Tornillo ISD policy supports this philosophy. At the Elementary school level, a classroom notification sent to parents within five days of a single incidence of lice in the class. Since many lice cases are discovered and treated at home, please let the school nurse know if you have discovered lice on your child. Your child's privacy will be maintained at all times.

The most important thing to remember is whatever treatment you use, follow the instructions EXACTLY as recommended for the treatment to reduce the risk of re-infestation. It's extremely important that you purchase and use a lice comb that has teeth that are very close together. This process is tedious (thus the term "nit-picking") but necessary to get all the nits out. Wash towels, bedding, jackets and any other items that are being used daily at home.

Keep checking your child's head every few days for the next 6-8 weeks. Only re-treat hair If live lice are still moving. Always check in with the school nurse or your child’s health professional if you are unsure of which treatment to use.

Treatment of head lice guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be found at:

Lice Prevention

The best treatment for lice is prevention. Throughout the school year, check your child's hair weekly and after overnight visits with other children. Educate your children to avoid sharing hats, combs, brushes, and other commonly shared items.

Nits not killed by treatments will continue to hatch within 7-10 days. All nits should be removed to prevent reinfestation and permit early recognition of any new infestation.

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