Mandated child abuse reporting

[redhen]

If the child has had lice for the WHOLE six months..then yes, i WOULD say it is reportable.
But if the child just keeps getting it ..and it IS being treated.. then... i'd say that theres not much you can do...

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I tend to agree with the above posters and say report it, but is the parent actually being neglectful, or has she tried "everything in the book" and if frustrated because nothing is working. I remember back in high school my younger brother got lice and had it for NINE months!!! No one else in the family got it and my parents tried EVERYTHING we tore the house apart, bleached and washed EVERYTHING, couches pillows you name it!!! Tried all the shampoos and soaps and rinses and killers imaginable, we even shaved his head and he STILL had them....... come to find out, later I caught him wearing another kids jacket a school, that ended up being why he had them for so long! Every time we would treat he would re-infect himself!!!

 

[cheri222]

There are resistant strains on the rise. Many of the old meds just don't work. Some parents may be hesitant to use the meds, I think they have seizure warnings on them or they used to . Maybe they have one irresponsible person in the home who keeps reinfecting the whole lot. As the manager of a health clinic, we reported many people to ocy but never for lice, scabies or ringworm. Is the parent feeling you are passing judgement on them? I would think this would be a health department issue if they are constantly putting the other students at risk of infection. At one point there was a study out that mayo and olive oil were more effective at controlling lice than the prescription meds. Ocy around her wouldn't touch it. We are trying to get a case opened(with assistance of his therapists) on our youngest son based on him being a false reporter (RAD) We want to establish a pattern of false reports to protect us as he gets more creative with his stories. Ocy just laughs at us.

 

[KristyHall]

It is possible that the lice have become immured and the mother has tried to get rid of them and is unable.
It is also possible the use of such poisons may be against her beliefs,which becomes a gray area.
Me myself, My hackles raise when I hear someone reporting anyone unless it's an extreme case. I've seen way too much abuse by the system and have general distrust of child welfare services, but that is a whole long story in itself, something that I would rather not get into right now.

 

[bkwurth]

Would it b illegal to treat the child at school? Then again, if it has gone untreated that long the house, ca,r and such will probably need to be treated also. Sorry I don't have anymore advice. Good luck.

 

[classicsredone]

Six months is a LONG time for a child to suffer with lice. Not only does it affect her health, it affects the health of the other children (and adults) around her. I've been a mandated reporter, and you have to trust your gut. I've never seen a kid go that long with lice, even now with resistant strains.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Another teacher here... Just a thought... Your job could be at stake if you don't report it, someone else DOES, and then it's discovered that you knew about it all along and didn't report it. Go with your gut and protect yourself by reporting. The agency will choose whether or not they want to look into it, but at least it's documented.

 

[violetsky]

You should report the family to social services. That's their job to determine
whether there is a problem or not. I believe you can do this anonymously
so you don't have to worry about the family giving you a hard time. Usually
with abuse what you see in public is only a fraction of what is really going on
at home. Six months is way too long to take care of lice. Now everybody has
their own standards whats ok in sanitation, and I'm sure some of my more fastidious relatives
would disown me if they knew I had eggs incubating in my laundry room, but
lice is just gross and unhealthy. I think animal planet takes dogs away from their
owners if they are covered with fleas and lice, this is a child. I think a teacher's kind word
to the wise wasnt enough to get the parents to act perhaps they need to be
monitored until they learn some good parenting behavior by a social service case
worker.

 

[magicpigeon]

When I was in school, every week we had more and more cases of lice. They still sent everyone home though with free lice shampoo. That solved the problem

Just saying

 

[Dar]

Quote:
I dont know about in your state... but here in Ontario YES its would be illegal and you could be charged with assault