Head Lice

Sample School Newsletter Notices
Here are some sample head lice information notices to use in school newsletters. For
illustrations, please see the accompanying document Sample School Newsletter Pictures.
DID YOU KNOW…
• Head lice can run up to 30 cm per minute (THAT’S 1.8 km per hour)!
• This means that they can rapidly run away and hide when you part your child’s hair to
check for head lice.
• So it’s easy to miss a head lice infestation unless there are quite a few lice or eggs.
BUT — you can outwit these speedy little pests!
To catch them out:
1. Saturate the dry hair in hair conditioner, and comb through with an ordinary comb. Any
head lice the hair lice in the hair will get “stuck” in the conditioner.
2. Now take the hair in small sections and comb thoroughly with a long-tooth, metal ‘nit’
comb. Continue combing the whole head like this.
3. Keep wiping the comb on a white tissue, as you work, looking for head lice and eggs.
A magnifying glass will make this easier.
4. If you find any head lice or eggs, continue combing with the hair conditioner every day,
for 10 days to remove all head lice.
5. Rinse the hair conditioner off when combing is completed.
For more detailed information, get the Department of Health’s free
Head Lice Fact Sheet from the school office or on the Internet at
www.health.wa.gov.au/headlice.
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NOW AVAILABLE:
the Department of Health’s
HEAD LICE FACT SHEET
GET YOURS FREE FROM THE SCHOOL OFFICE TODAY!
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DID YOU KNOW…
This school has a formal, detailed Head Lice Management Policy?
The Policy clearly outlines school and parent responsibilities, and describes how the
school community manages this frustrating problem. Contact the school office to obtain
your copy, or look on our school Internet page: [insert internet address]. A copy is also
included in the school’s enrolment package. All parents and staff are asked to be familiar
with this policy and comply with it.
School Head Lice Information

Department of Health
HEAD LICE FACT SHEET
The Department of Health’s Head Lice Fact Sheet contains accurate and up-to-date
information about head lice, and how to get rid of them.
It is based on the latest national and international research.
Free copies are available from the School Office or view on the Internet at:
www.health.wa.gov/headlice
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DID YOU KNOW…
• There is no safe “one-off” treatment for head lice and eggs.
• No treatment is guaranteed to kill all head lice eggs (nits).
• Eggs hatch 7-10 days after being laid.
• So it takes 10 days of follow-up treatment to remove all head lice.
HOW?
Read the Department of Health’s Head Lice Fact Sheet – FREE from the School office or
at view at www.health.wa.gov.au/headlice.
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Some interesting facts about head lice…
• The scientific name for head lice is pediculis capitis. They only live on human scalps,
and have probably been around for as long as humans have. Head lice have even
been found on ancient Egyptian mummies! They are not the same as body lice (crabs)
or scabies mites.
• Head lice don’t live on other animals - you can’t get them from pets.
• Head lice don’t normally live on any other part of the body. Their curved legs have
specially developed to grasp human head hair, and their eggs are firmly glued on to
hair too. They are parasites and need to feed on human blood several times each day.
• The word lousy comes from describing a person who has lice. Head lice eggs are also
know as nits.
• For more information about head lice, how to spot them and get rid of them, grab a
copy of the Department of Health’s Head Lice Fact Sheet – FREE from the School
office or view at www.health.wa.gov.au/headlice.
School Head Lice Information

SAMPLE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER NOTICE TO RECRUIT HEAD LICE RESOURCE PARENTS
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A HEAD LICE RESOURCE PARENT?
The P&C/P&F is looking for one or two parents who would like to volunteer to be Head
Lice Resource Parents. These are parents who have successfully dealt with the
frustrations of head lice treatment and are willing to be available, via the school office, to
provide problem-solving support for other parents who have already followed the
Department of Health Fact Sheet advice, but are still having persistent difficulty removing a
head lice infestation.
Resource Parents do not undertake treatment, as that remains the responsibility of the
child’s parent. While the Resource Parent may demonstrate the treatment method on
request as part of a support visit, problem-solving advice can often be given over the
phone and a home visit is not needed.
The Resource Parent’s role is part of the school community’s collaborative approach to
supporting parents to better manage head lice themselves at home. Other staff members,
such as the Community (School) Nurse and [insert name], are also available to parents for
information and advice. The collaborative approach involves teachers, the Community
(School) Nurse, parents and students all playing a cooperative role in managing this minor,
but often frustrating and sometimes stressful condition.
Education and support for Resource Parents can be provided by the Communicable
Disease Control Branch (CDCB) of the Department of Health and/or the Community
(School ) Nurse. CDCB offers head lice management update sessions three times per
year in March, July and November, and their staff are available to parents for head lice
information as well as advice on solving tricky head lice problems.
To find out more, contact [insert name] via the school office. Further Department of Health
information about the role of the Head Lice Resource Parent is also available on
www.health.wa.gov.au/headlice.
School Head Lice Information