The “No Notification” Policy: Concerns and Risks
This is the last straw!
It’s bad enough that you had to deal with your child’s lice problem last year. This year around, you thought you were prepared. But lo and behold! There’s a louse, strutting proudly among your child’s strands of hair, and there’s nothing you can do except fume and wield a nit comb so you can attack it and its eggs with gusto.
Having to deal with lice every other year has become common for many parents. And they are tired of it. Children shouldn’t come back from school with these parasites. In fact, if there’s a child who has lice, every parent should be informed about it.
But it will take some time before a parental notification system can be enforced. Yes, there has been some development in Florida, but what about the rest of the country? In this situation, it’s important that we make our voices heard so that future parents can be cautioned about the inevitable outbreak.
Understanding the No-Notification Policy
It’s quite simple. Even when the parent of a lice-infested child does notify the school, no notes are sent to the parents in that class, mainly to avoid stigma. Many schools defend their decision, saying that notifying the parents may cause the child to be ostracized. However, many parents retort that people do have the right to know. Despite it not being a medical emergency, getting lice can be a major inconvenience. As such, parents should be told if there is a potential outbreak so they can take precautionary measures. As for any ostracization that children might suffer from, the key here is to make sure that all parents are educated about lice. In truth, lice are not caused because of bad hygiene or dirty surroundings. Neither is there any health ramification to the outbreak. Lice are simply there, and it can be fairly easy to rid yourself of them, if you get the right treatment.
