Kids with Head Lice No Longer Required To Be Sent Home from School According to New Guidelines From the CDC

“Head lice is not considered a communicable disease, because lice do not carry disease,” said the Director of Community Wellness, in Kent County, Mich.

The discovery of head lice on a child’s body no longer means they are guaranteed a day off from school, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The health agency recently updated guidelines on when to treat the affliction once the insects are discovered on a child’s head.

For many years, it was recommended that kids with lice be sent home from school and receive treatment immediately. Additionally, parents were advised not to send their child back to school until the insect eggs (called nits) were no longer detectable in the child’s scalp.

According to the updated guidelines, while it’s necessary that kids who have lice are treated, the need for immediate treatment is not quite as urgent as it was once thought to be.

“You do not need to send students with head lice infestation home early from school,” according to information on the CDC website. “Students with lice can go home at the end of the day, be treated, and return to class after beginning appropriate treatment.”

The guidelines also say: “Nits may stay in hair after treatment, but successful treatment will kill crawling lice.”

In addition, the CDC suggested that schools discontinue