Braggs School Superintendent Lucky McCrary said the school has safeguards in place to prevent the spread of head lice among students.

McCrary said the district has people trained to check for head lice. Students were checked Tuesday. He said he couldn’t confirm if any were found.

Braggs is not alone in having to guard agaist head lice. A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics says head lice infestation is a common problem among children between 3 and 12 years of age. The academy said between 6 to 12 million children report infestations each year. The academy said head lice are not considered a health hazard or a sign of uncleanliness.



Roy Timmons, the parent of a Braggs student, expressed concern late in January that the school was not handling reports of head lice infestation. He said his child had lice, but was treated.



“I am a licensed nurse, and I volunteered to do free head checks,” he said on Jan. 23. “They tell me they are doing head lice checks.”

Classes at Braggs and other area schools were out for four days last week because of an ice storm. Timmons said he had heard some children at Braggs had were sent home with lice before the ice storm and that several students were sent home this week.

Timmons said on Thursday that he was satisfied with the school’s response as long as the students with the head lice weren’t coming back to school.

McCrary said students with infestations are not to come to school until the head lice are treated and removed.

He said head lice can be a common problem this time of year.

“In winter, every school I’ve run into has this type of problem,” he said.

Muskogee County Health Department Administrative Director Linda Hattaway said that because head lice are not a public health problem, cases are not reported to or investigated by the department.

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ report said head lice do not transmit any disease agents, though itching may develop in a sensitized person.



“It is probably impossible to totally prevent head lice infestations,” the report said. “Young children come into close head-to-head contact with each other frequently.”



The report advises that children should be taught not to share personal items such as combs, brushes or hats.



Reach Cathy Spaulding at 918-684-2928 or Click Here to Send Email