NEW ULM – A parent’s concern with lice appears to have created a social media stir.

Jesse Steinberg has voiced frustration with how the issue is being handled at Jefferson Elementary School – and as of Wednesday he had received 218 responses in support.

Lice re-infestation has been a problem in Steinberg’s household since October. The cost of treatments and clean-up has exceeded $600, says Steinberg. He says some families report costs in the thousands.

Steinberg feels the school is not doing enough to halt re-infestation. Children with lice are allowed to stay in school, and re-infestation never ends, says Steinberg.

“Their policy is your standard canned response,” says Steinberg. It downplays the significance of the problem and has no teeth, he argues.

The school is where the lice are spreading from, and that is where the problem should be addressed, argues Steinberg.

He believes the school should be more aggressive in its response.

School nurses should be offering the option of an initial in-school treatment and billing parents, doing spot checks, and taking the opportunity to educate the children, perhaps in a playful way, while at it, said Steinberg.

He also feels the school should be sending children with lice home – and only readmitting them after receiving clear evidence of treatment.

If parents prove indifferent or unresponsive, the school should involve Child Protection Services, because, likely, other issues are also being neglected, says Steinberg.

Steinberg adds that school officials have been stonewalling, downplaying his concerns.

He reports contacting city and state officials, in addition to school administrators, and is organizing parents to take the issue to the school board.

When asked to speak on behalf of the district, Superintendent Jeff Bertrang defended the school position.

“All I can say is that he isn’t up to date on research, lacks knowledge of the subject, and isn’t correct with his statements and postings,” Bertrang said.

“This parent contacted KEYC because he didn’t get the answers he wanted at Jefferson School… He didn’t speak to our nurse, the Jefferson School principal or myself before contacting KEYC,” said Bertrang.

“Since his first contact with KEYC last Tuesday, he finally met with the school nurse and Principal Dawn Brown,” said Bertrang. “He didn’t agree with the policy or what they told him and he then went to post more comments on Facebook.”

The district has had 58 confirmed cases of lice at Jefferson School as of last week, 10 less than last year at this time, and it has had more school days this year with the early start, said Bertrang.

Bertrang said the district is adhering to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations when it allows children to stay in school.

Parents with children in classrooms where lice have been identified are notified about exposure, with calls and letters, and an effort is made to screen siblings on the same day, said Bertrang.

“Our focus is on education of what lice is, how it is actually transmitted between kids, and that it doesn’t matter what your socio-economic status is. Anyone can get lice, mostly because early elementary students don’t always understand their personal space or that they shouldn’t share hats, combs, brushes, etc.,” said Bertrang.

The CDC says head lice can be a nuisance but they have not been shown to spread disease. Personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with getting head lice, says the CDC.

“No-nit” policies that require a child to be free of nits before they can return to school should be discontinued, the CDC also says. The burden of absenteeism far outweighs the risks associated with head lice, says the CDC.