A case of head lice was identified in the fourth grade at the Birmingham Covington School (BCS), according to a note sent home to parents May 2.

According Adam Hartley, BCS principal, the incident is "not a cause for panic," but a call for action to prevent head lice.

"It is extremely important for you to check your child’s head today.  Please keep checking every two days until there are no head lice found for 10 consecutive days," Hartley said.

According to the Oakland County Health Department, the best way to prevent lice transmission is:

• Teach children not to share combs, brushes, hair ornaments, hats, caps, scarves, headsets, or any other personal headgear.
• Do not wear other people’s hats.
• Teach children to hang coats separately - placing hats and scarves inside coat/jacket sleeves.
• Conduct regular head checks of your child.

If head lice is found your child:

• Check others in the household for signs of head lice or nits. If found, complete remaining steps on all infested individuals.
• Remove nits from the head by combing. This is the most important lice control measure.
• Complete nit removal is time-consuming but is critical for successful treatment.
• Remove all of the lice and nits from the environment by washing or vacuuming.
• Perform daily head checks and remove nits for 3 weeks until head lice are gone.