Boarding Schools and Head Lice

Boarding schools are absolutely amazing-  we have traveled to quite a few to do mass head lice screenings and treatment for students. The facilities are always spotless, Staff goes above and beyond to accommodate the kids as well as my staff, and it’s just such an impressive community based atmosphere!  We have been fortunate enough to work with boarding schools in our area and have always had a great experience and loved helping! Communal living, especially with younger crowds, is the perfect place for head lice to spread. Lice prefer a clean head, so it is not a signal of anyone being unkempt. It is the exact opposite!  Teenagers love to take “selfies“. If you don’t know what that means, it’s basically aiming a camera at your face while touching your hair to someone else’s – the perfect breeding ground for the fast spread of a lice infestation!  What we would recommend is, students wearing their hair in ponytails and avoiding head-to-head contact the best that they can. The ways that you will not catch Lice are from couches or chairs in the common room, sharing bathroom facilities, and sitting next to someone.  Place can spread very easily, but it is also very easy to avoid assuming that it is on your radar! With this type of living situation, I monthly had check would be ideal to avoid a true problem starting throughout the facility. I have to give a shout out to the amazing nurses that we have worked with at local boarding schools for being proactive and supportive for their students!