Nina's Clinic

It's Tuesday morning and you're the school nurse. Your office door hasn't stopped opening all morning. Seven students from Ms. Harper's Year 5 class have come in scratching their heads. The first was Zara, who noticed something moving in her hair during reading time. Then Marcus. Then Priya. Now their classmates are filing in one by one, convinced they're itchy too. Ms. Harper looks worried. "Is it lice?" she asks. A few of the kids look embarrassed — one boy, Ethan, is near tears because someone told him lice means you're dirty. It doesn't. Lice actually prefer clean hair because it's easier to grip. The school secretary is already on the phone. Three parents want to pick up their children immediately. The principal is asking whether the whole class needs to be sent home. A parent has emailed demanding that "infected students" be kept out of school until they're "completely clean." Everyone is upset. Nobody is thinking clearly. And that's where you come in. You have a fine-toothed nit comb, a magnifying glass, good lighting, and — most importantly — actual knowledge about what head lice are, what they do, and what they don't do. Time to be the calmest person in the room.