A new, proposed policy change regarding lice will be changing to allow the attendance of a student with nits, and less than 10 live lice, back to all Creswell schools.
The former policy excluded students infested with either live lice or nits, and didn’t allow attendance of students with nits. The proposed sentence change in the policy reads that, ”Students with a severe infestation will be excluded immediately until treated. A student that has been excluded from school that has been treated will be readmitted after an assessment by designated personnel.”
Board Director Natalie Smathers said the policy change is going to help a lot of family with kids, and Board Chair Tim Rogers said the board does what it needs to do to, ”Help class time and make sure students have access to learning.”
The proposed sample policy made the policy more concise, combining information together and including a new plan for following treatment.
This policy change was bought by Creslane nurses, who provided research from the American Academy of Pediatrics. In the section on ”Criteria for Return to School,” the article said that a child ”should not be restricted from school attendance because of lice” and ”no-nit policies that exclude children until all nits are removed may violate a child’s civil liberties.”
The research also said that most health care professionals agree that no-nit policies should be abandoned because they are ”Based on misinformation rather than objective science.”
The decision to change policy was reviewed by the Policy Review Committee, which is made up of Rogers, Superintendent Todd Hamilton, Board Secretary Marilyn Cruzan, Smathers and Board Director Kandice Lemhouse-Worsham. The committee only meets as needed, and is charged with working on the development or revision of Creswell School District Board policies.
Smathers said the meeting was really informative and she was impressed with the Creslane staff for what they do for the community.
The proposed changes were passed to officially post during the Oct. 10 regular school board meeting. Board Director Mike Anderson moved to post the policies and Board Director Lacey Risdal seconded. It was approved unanimously.
The next regular board meeting will be held Nov. 14. The public is encouraged to attend.
