- Target:
- Public Health, Bluewater District School Board
- Region:
- Canada
We understand lice is a common problem and it happens, just like any other illness, but we don't understand why it is allowed to become so prominent that the entire school is infested for several months of the school year. We understand lice pose no significant health risk but they can pose a negative emotional and psychological one.
Lice, according to the CDC, are only a nuisance. A "nuisance" that costs families and households hundreds of dollars for treatments of repeated infestations. It means time off work, repeatedly, for those parents who treat correctly and properly and to clean their house thoroughly as recommended. It is a financial and emotional strain presenting again and again simply because there are NO measures being taken to prevent this simple "nuisance". The simple steps of prevention happened in the past and were much more effective than today's method with no lasting harmful effects on any children.
We also understand with today's bullying on the rise, measures have to be taken to be discreet. With a building full of professionals, we don't see that this should be an issue.
We completely agree a student with lice should not have to endure unwanted attention or ridicule. This is something that a protocol can take care of.
We need to find a solution that will be positive and fair for all people involved, both with those who need to be treated and those who have not yet contracted it.
We, the undersigned, want all children to attend school without the fear and very real threat of contracting lice on a daily basis for months at a time.
We are all in agreement of keeping kids in school, but not at the expense of others. Simple education and treatment practices are clearly not keeping this issue under control. The effect of allowing students in school without proper and thorough treatment and inspection on returning, is enabling families to improperly treat the condition because there is no consequence. This results in very large and widespread infestation.
It is a problem that can be more easily controlled if certain steps are in place to manage it. If a student is found with lice on head, that student should be allowed to remain in the classroom for the remainder of the day, so as not to call undesired attention to them.
Then, that student's parents/guardians should be notified of what was found, the steps needed to treat it and that a discreet inspection of the student's hair will need to be done at some point during the day of return. Nobody else needs to know the reason for the absence and the student will not be singled out.
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The Help Control Lice In Schools petition to Public Health, Bluewater District School Board was written by Kendra Moore and is in the category Education at GoPetition.