Eugene 4J school board members are set to review the district’s policy on head lice at their meeting Wednesday evening. It could lead to the end of a “no-nit” policy that keeps students out of school when they have head lice.
Citing change in guidance from the Oregon Health Authority in 2017, the district is looking to adopt a new policy that would require parents or guardians to be notified but would allow the student to remain in the classroom.
“Exclusion for lice is an equity issue,” wrote Tim Heider, a spokesperson for the Oregon Health Authority, in an email to KLCC. “Unnecessary exclusions result in lost learning time, as well as parent/guardian loss of work time, and may widen the achievement gap particularly for under-resourced students.”
Instead, schools are encouraged to abandon policies that exclude children with head lice from class, and instead educate students and parents on prevention and treatment methods.
Seth Pfaefflin, the director of student services for the 4J School District, said the risk of lice spread in a class environment is rare – unless students touch heads or share hats. He said educating students to avoid that contact will help prevent lice infestations.
Pfaefflin added that the district had not excluded students with head lice from school for years, and that the proposed policy change would catch up to practices already in place in the district.
“We stopped excluding students for this a while ago and I’ve tried to make sure everybody knows that,” Pfaefflin said. “Because we already had changed our practice following the state guidance, I don’t think it will change very much for us.”
Private screenings for head lice at nurse’s offices will continue, Pfaefflin said. He hopes to reassure parents, like himself, that care will be provided to prevent the spread of head lice at school.
“It’s stressful and hard and so, it’s being as supportive as we can to families and helping them,” he said. “If they need help obtaining the treatment products, we’re going to help them with that and walk them through what to do.”
Portland Public Schools has also adopted OHA’s advice against exclusion.
