Head Lice (Pediculosis) and Your Child

Chances are that if your are reading this, you have a child that has head lice, has had lice in the past, are worried they may get head lice or you think they may have head lice now.

You may be upset, angry, anxious or concerned.  That is very understandable.  But while no one wants head lice, head lice are  not dangerous and do not spread disease.  Head lice are spread by head to head contact, especially sustained contact.  While head lice could be spread at school, head to head contact at school is not commonplace.  Head lice are a community occurrence; schools provide information and tend to be the place of identification.

The resources listed on this web page were chosen to give parents the best factual and helpful information.  If you have any questions, concerns or need verification of active head lice in your own child, please feel free to contact your school's nurse (cited: Missoula County Public Schools, https://www.mcpsmt.org/Page/2109, Dec 2018).

Helpful Resources Linked Below:

• Treating Head Lice
• Kalispell Public School District: Head Lice Policy (December 2018)
• Letter Supporting KPS Head Lice Policy, Flathead City-County Health Department
• Centers for Disease Control:  Head Lice FAQS 
• American Academy of Pediatrics: 2015 Clinical Report: Head Lice 
• National Association of School Nurses 2016 Position Statement: Head Lice Management in the School Setting