BUFFALO, N.Y. — Caitlin Taylor is a school social worker, and though she only sees students one on one or in small groups, she's still concerned about getting head lice.

"I'm honestly very terrified of it at this point," said Taylor.

What You Need To Know

  •  The number of head lice cases is on the rise in schools

  •  Schools are not required to send kids home if they have lice

  • Lice clinic leaders say they are very busy and hace seen an uptick

And while she hasn't had it at her school, she did get it several times working as a teacher in another district.

She says it was so bad, and costly to remove, she quit.

"It became very overwhelming," said Taylor. "It was a vicious cycle. I was sending children down to the nurse [and] the nurse was sending them back up."

Students are not required to be sent home if a school finds it in a student's head, as state education leaders recommend districts develop local policies and procedures, with help from the state Center for School Health.

In Jamestown, for instance, school leaders say they do notify the parent of a student with lice, who can then pick up their child if they want and get it treated. Otherwise the student stays in school, running the risk of their classmates getting it, forcing their parents to pay for treatment.

"So we're kind of in the middle of trying to do what's best for the child in terms of treatment of lice and also not disrupt, or distract the classroom too much and try to keep them in school as much as possible," said Dr. Jill Muntz, health services coordinator, Jamestown Public Schools.

Which is why Taylor gets checked at Naughty Nits, a lice clinic with offices across Upstate New York.

Owner Marnie Murray says the number of people with head lice has climbed to pre-COVID levels, including in schools.

"It's frustrating that the bug infestations are going up while the information and the support is going down," said Murray. "There's already so much school that's been missed due to COVID, so in that regard I understand the policy but it does create a lot of stress for parents."

The clinic does work with schools and nurses to provide the most recent information, send out alerts to families and outline treatment options to help clients like Taylor impacted by the exposure. 

"It does affect families emotionally, mentally, financially, and obviously physically," said Taylor. "It's very important to be taken care of."

After a clean bill of health, Taylor's relieved when back in school.

"It's more of a piece of mind knowing that I am taking as many precautions and steps that I can in order to stay safe and keep my family safe," she said.

As for the cost, the owner of Naughty Nits says when it comes to treating lice, over-the-counter products are not as effective and offers prevention programs that are ultimately cheaper in the long run than trying to remove the eggs and live bugs at home.