A case of head lice has been reported in the 4th grade at the Birmingham Covington School.

Birmingham Public Schools has provided parents with a fact sheet about strep throat, including such facts as:

The best way to prevent transmission:

• 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 are found on 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.

For proper treatment, please contact your child’s physician, the health department, or www.headlice.org  .

A student can return to school once:

• There has been treatment
• Nits are ½ inch or more from the scalp
• The student has been checked by the principal (designee)