That's not what upset her. The mother, who asked not to be identified, was treating them for the problem. It was her subsequent conversation with school officials that bothered her.
"They said the health department allows kids to go to school with head lice, including nits and eggs," she said. "My kids had lice and the schools would not excuse them. They also said they don't check the kids for lice, either."
She remembered her own school days, when children with head lice did not return to class until they were completely free of any evidence of lice or eggs and when teachers checked each child's head for evidence of lice.
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Kelly Schierbrock, a public health nurse for the city of Council Bluffs, pointed out that the old policies "left so many children out of school for so long that it affected their education. We used to require kids be bug- and nit-free. That has changed, and it's now up to each school's discretion."
Both the Council Bluffs and Lewis Central Community Schools leave the handling of head lice cases to the judgment of their school nurses.
At Lewis Central, that means Deb Blodgett and Amy Cook make decisions on a case-by-case basis.
"Anyone can get head lice - even the most immaculate kid in the world," Blodgett said. "It's a transmission issue. They're passed along by contact, and little kids are around each other a lot."
If lice are found, officials may send a student home for treatment.
"If we find one egg and a student has short hair, we may just comb it out," Blodgett said. "It's up to the nurse's discretion to send a student home. In some cases, we have sent students home for treatment and allowed them to come back later the same day. Our policy changed three years ago. We were a lot stricter before that."
The same holds true for the Council Bluffs schools, said Community Services Supervisor Diane Ostrowski. A school may decide to send a child home for treatment and allow him or her to return the same day, because "we want the children in school and learning whenever possible."
The easiest way to prevent head lice may be for parents to remind their children not to share hats, combs or hair accessories, said Ostrowski, who also suggested parents check their children on a regular basis for signs of head lice. The schools do not conduct such checks.
Schierbrock agreed.
"Check your kid's head once a week, especially behind the ears and at the nape of the neck," Schierbrock said. "Not every child will scratch, and just because they don't scratch doesn't mean the lice aren't there."
If lice are present, Schierbrock said, a variety of over-the-counter treatments are generally effective, if used according to the directions. If not, she warned they could be a waste of time and money.
"When you use them, don't start by wetting the hair, she said. "Head lice can hold their breath. Put the treatment on dry hair. Don't leave it on too long, either. Follow the directions properly."
She also recommended a half-and-half mix of mineral oil and vinegar applied to dry hair. It should be left on for four hours to suffocate head lice and dislodge the eggs. Comb the hair with a clean, fine-tooth comb when the process is over, and "repeat the treatment in seven to 10 days to get any of the missed eggs."
Blodgett recommended mayonnaise as the best way to get rid of head lice.
"Not Miracle Whip or light mayonnaise," Blodgett said. "Use 100-percent mayonnaise and coat the hair thickly. Put on a shower cap and leave it in four hours. It's a cheap and effective remedy."
Both Blodgett and Schierbrock also recommended washing the hair with Dawn dish soap to get out the residue from the various remedies like mayonnaise or mineral oil, although the hair may have to be washed two or three times.
