The Ketchikan School Board will talk about head lice during Wednesday’s regular meeting.
At a previous meeting, a parent asked the board to review its policy on head lice. She suggested a no-nits policy, which means a student found with nits – eggs – not just active lice is sent home until the student is successfully treated.
The current administrative regulation calls for students with active head lice to not to be readmitted until all live bugs are gone. The regulation allows students with just nits to remain in class, although treatment still is needed and head-checks are to continue until no nits remain.
According to information in Superintendent Robert Boyle’s report to the board, district elementary schools reported as few as two cases of lice a month at Tongass School of Arts and Sciences, up to eight cases a week at the much-larger Houghtaling Elementary School.
Boyle writes that the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics do not support a “no-nit” policy. He adds that lice is not an infectious disease, and the student absences that would result from such a policy isn’t worth it.
Also on Wednesday, the school board will consider in first reading a policy change regarding board meetings. The board has traditionally canceled the second meeting of the month in July, November and December. The policy change would make that official, unless the board votes to add a second meeting those months.
The board also will interview applicants for a vacant board seat.
Wednesday’s meeting starts at 6 p.m. in Borough Assembly chambers at the White Cliff building. Public comment will be heard at the start and end of the meeting.