Madison Riehle
Editor-in-Chief

Lice checks were held this morning in The Center after students returned from Christmas break.

The checks were done by professional lice inspectors from Lice Patrol, according to Head of School Rachel Simpson

“Their expertise is extremely helpful in making it a fast process so that students aren’t too impacted,” Simpson said. “The most important thing is we don’t want something as small as lice to impact student learning.”

Lice can be spread from direct contact with someone who has lice. The different types of lice are lice eggs, or nits, lice nymph and lice adults, according to LiceMD.

“I’m pretty mindful about lice since I have had it in the past,” senior Hannah Baylis said. “After breaks I am especially wary of my hair and try to keep it tied up.”

Lice checks are a standard procedure after coming back from long breaks, such as summer, Thanksgiving and Christmas, according to Simpson.

“Lice are a fact of life, and while it’s not an alarming health issue, it is an inconvenience and pain for families so we want to contain any potential outbreak,” Simpson said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not require schools to send students home when they contract lice.

“We don’t treat it in an alarmist way,” Simpson said. “We trust in high school that students can tie up their hair and be mindful if they receive the diagnosis and that they can take care of it when they get home.”

It is recommended that students wear their hair up and get their hair checked at home if they did not do so today.