Head Lice Reported at Brookview Elementary in West Des Moines

A case of head lice has been reported in the before-and-after school program at Brookview Elementary school in West Des Moines.

Parents of students in the school's YMCA-sponsored program were notified via e-mail Tuesday afternoon of the reported incident.

Lindsay Simmerman, site supervisor for the YMCA's program at Brookview Elementary wrote in the e-mail:

Yesterday, I had a case of head lice reported to me by parents of a child in the Before and After School program. We currently have the head lice “health alert” sign posted near the sign-in/out table so that you are aware of the active cases that were recently reported and what you should look for when identifying head lice in your child’s hair.

The e-mail further explains the YMCA's policy on head lice cases in the program.

I wanted to send an email to clarify the policies set forth by the YMCA and our State of Iowa Child Care license, which differ dramatically from the policies set forth by the school district with guidance from the Iowa Health Department:

• If your child is found to have head lice while at the site, you will be called to pick up your child immediately and follow the steps below.

• If you find head lice on your child, we ask that you notify the site immediately. You are welcome to call the site phone at 249.8165 or send me a private email with the information.

If you find head lice on your child, you must follow the steps below.

•  All cases of head lice remain confidential.

• Your child will need to be treated with over-the-counter medication. If you are in need of treatment procedures, I am happy to provide suggestions and information.

• Your child will NOT be allowed back to the site for 24 hours from when they have been treated, and can return only if there is no longer evidence of nits in the hair.

• It is important that each of you follow appropriate procedures so that we can STOP the spread of head lice in our before- and after-school program.

Brookview Elementary is the second school with an after-school care program to report incidents of head lice. Just two weeks into the current school year, several students at Eason Elementary picked up the bugs with more cases reported just a few weeks later.

Currently, the Waukee School District does not inform parents of any reported cases of head lice. A proposal has been sent to the Waukee school board's Policy Committee for consideration. There's no word on when or if that policy could come to fruition.