Free Lice Combs in Public Schools ($60,000)

Committee: Community Resources

Cost: $60,000

Location: All Cambridge Public Elementary and Upper Schools

Short Description: Provide free, professional-quality lice combs during outbreaks to ease costs to families. These combs have dense bristles that are recommended for wash treatments and are more effective than standard combs.

Long Description:

Lice! Ugh! These pesky little bugs that feed on human blood, spread by close contact, can rapidly become a raging infection in a school setting. According to the CDC, “6 -12 million infestations occur each year in the United States among children 3 to 11 years of age.” When lice are found, children will itch and scratch and possibly cause sores that become infected. 

This proposal would fund the supply of high-quality lice combs with dense bristles (which are usually costly, but are the most effective) for all elementary and upper school families who discover lice. $60,000 in a capital expense would purchase 2 boxes of 100 combs ($1,500 per box) for each of the 16 schools in the district, as well as some stock for replenishment (8 boxes). 

There are lice treatments (hair and body washes) that are effective individually but will only stem an outbreak when universally applied. Unfortunately, hair and body washes are considered medication and school personnel are not allowed to dispense them. Furthermore, while these treatments can be effective in killing live lice, best treatment practices also recommend using a lice comb to ensure all nits (egg cases) are removed. Not all treatments target nits, and if they are improperly removed, infestation may persist. For this reason, school nurses believe the purchase of high-quality combs would be extremely useful for treatment. 

An example of a professional-quality lice comb with dense bristles best suited for removing nits.