Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why does my child need to be immunized?

A.  Texas laws require that all schools follow the recommendations of the Texas Department of State Health Services for immunization of children.  NEISD is required to follow these requirements. The CDC has information on the diseases that these immunizations combat.  Click here

Q.  What do I need to do if my child needs medication during school hours?

A.  Medications that are needed on a short-term basis, such as antibiotics, can be given at school.  When the parent brings the medication to school in a properly labeled bottle, there is a shot term medication form that must be signed giving the nurse permission to administer the med.  Medications that needs to be given on a long term basis, whether daily or as needed, will need a Medication Administration Request form signed by the parent and the physician.  All medications must be delivered and picked up by an adult.  No medications will be sent home with a child.

Q.  Should a child go to school with a cold?

A.  In the absence of fever, use your discretion. If a child is frequently coughing and sneezing, he/she may feel more comfortable at home.  Please reinforce good hand washing habits.

Q.  If my child has a fever, but no other symptoms in the morning, should I give him/her Tylenol before sending to school?

A.  No, children with fever should stay at home.  Giving a medication may reduce the fever for a few hours, but the child is still sick and likely contagious, exposing staff and classmates to illness.  The medication will wear off, the fever will return, and the nurse will be calling the parent to pick up the sick child.  Being in school also deprives the child of the rest needed to get well.

Q.  What are head lice?

A.  A head louse is a parasitic insect found in human head hair.  Adult lice have roughly cigar-shaped bodies and are about as long as a sesame seed.  Their bodies range in appearance from translucent and/or nearly colorless to almost totally black.  The juvenile louse ranges from a little larger than a period at the end of a sentence to close to adult size, depending on the developmental stage.  Adult lice lay eggs that they attach to hairs with a glue-like substance close to the scalp.  Most eggs take 7 days for the embryo louse to develop and for the "baby" lice to emerge.  It takes a minimum of 10 days for a newborn louse to develop and start laying eggs.

Q. How are head lice transmitted?

A.  Lice travel by crawling.  They do not fly or jump.  The primary route of transmission is via head-to-head contact between close persons.  Lice live only for a short time off of a human host head, an average of 12-24 hours.  Transfer of head lice by inanimate objects such as combs, hairbrushes, hats, scarves, headphones, stuffed animals and sporting gear (batting helmets) has been implicated in popular literature, but not demonstrated in scientific evidence.  So, direct head-to-head contact is more likely to be the mode of transmission.

Q.  What can be done to prevent and treat head lice?

A.  The following steps are recommended to help prevent the spread of head lice:

• Teach your child not to share certain items, like combs, brushes, hair clips, hats, etc.

• Watch for signs of head lice.  Signs include repeated head scratching and complaints of itchiness.

• Check all family members for head lice often.  A magnifying glass and a bright light are helpful.  A few minutes of checking on a regular basis will be beneficial in identifying a case of head lice early and will save a lot of time if a case is found.

• Please notify the school and close personal contacts if you find evidence of head lice on your child(ren).  Notifying parents of playmates and relatives when you first find evidence of head lice will help others to catch a case early and minimize further spread of the lice.

For detailed instructions on treating head lice click here.

Q.  When can my child return to school following treatment for head lice?

A.    When a child is first discovered to have evidence of head lice, the child will be excluded from school.  A student may return to school after treatment with a lice killing product and the nits have been removed. The school nurse must check the student before going back into the classroom.  The child may return to school unless a substantial amount of nits remain in the hair.  A follow-up treatment may be needed seven to ten days after the first treatment.