Question: Does the Department of Education have a lice policy that applies to all of Hawaii’s public schools? If so, what is it? And does it apply to faculty and staff too, or only students?
Answer: The statewide school district follows guidelines established by the Hawaii Department of Health stating: “Students with live head lice do not need to be sent home early from school. ‘No-nit’ policies that require a child to be free of nits (lice eggs) before they can return to school should be discontinued. Instead, a student should finish the school day, receive appropriate treatment, and then return to school. No healthy child should be excluded from or allowed to miss school time because of head lice.”
These guidelines apply to faculty and staff as well as to students, said Derek Inoshita, a DOE spokesman.
The DOH’s advice about lice, known locally as ukus, can be found at 808ne.ws/1UFePBB. The school guidelines are in line with recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses, which emphasize that head lice are a nuisance, not a serious disease.
Additional information is available from the Hawaii Parent Information Resource Center, which, through its Uku Project, describes how endemic infestation, the stigma of the condition and the cost to treat it combine to create barriers to education for children from low-income and immigrant families.
The Uku Project recommends a simple and effective treatment that is nontoxic and inexpensive to make, requiring only original-formula Listerine, shampoo, conditioner, a plastic bag and an uku comb. It strives to share this information with educators, parents, health providers and social workers throughout the state. Its website 808ne.ws/1IX6Usz is one informational outlet, and includes the recipe for the lice-killing Listerine shampoo and directions on how to apply it. The instructions are in English, Chuukese, Marshallese and Spanish.
Students and others can help prevent the spread of head lice by avoiding direct head-to-head contact and not sharing hairbrushes, hats, caps, helmets, towels, hair ribbons and accessories or other clothing. Lice cannot jump or fly and are unlikely to leave a healthy scalp in favor of another except in cases of heavy infestations, according to the AAP.
Q: Is there anyone who will take care of my dog for free? He seems very sick. He might have to be put to sleep. I don’t have money. I hate to see him suffer.
A: We’re sorry to hear about your dog. Our quickest advice is to contact the Hawaiian Humane Society for further guidance. A spokeswoman there was unaware of any Oahu veterinary clinic that routinely offers sick-pet care for free. However, she said some veterinary hospitals may offer charity medical care on a case-by-case basis or may offer payment plans or credit options.
Also, the Humane Society is Oahu’s only open-admission shelter, which means that it will not turn any animal away. If the dog is suffering, the nonprofit animal-welfare group can evaluate his condition to determine if euthanasia is recommended. It does provide euthanasia and cremation services for people’s pets, although generally for a fee. It also offers a monthly support group for people grieving the death of a pet.
For more information, see hawaiianhumane.org, call 356-2200 on Oahu or email hhs@hawaiianhumane.org.
Auwe
Auwe to the person or persons who apparently kicked the doors and jumped on the hoods of the two new 2015 driver education cars at Kalani High School sometime between the afternoon or night of Sept. 1 and the early hours of Sept. 2. Thanks to you, the cars now have big dents on the right-side front and rear doors and on the hoods, and will no doubt cost a bunch of money to fix. Your immature actions reflect badly on the community and the school, and will be investigated/prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
