Plain English Breakdown
The official text does not specify an effective date, only that Section 2 takes effect 180 days after the effective date of Section 1.
Alaska School Policy on Head Lice and Bacterial Conjunctivitis
This law requires Alaska school districts to create written policies for students with live head lice or bacterial conjunctivitis, while setting specific rules that apply if a district has not yet made its own policy.
What This Bill Does
- Requires every public school district in Alaska to adopt a written policy about live head lice and bacterial conjunctivitis.
- Allows students found with live head lice to stay in class until the end of that day if no local policy exists yet.
- Stops students with live head lice from returning to class after that day unless a school nurse, their designee, or another health care provider confirms their hair is free of live lice.
- Requires schools to give parents information on how to treat head lice when it is found.
- Mandates that students with bacterial conjunctivitis leave the classroom immediately and stay out for at least 24 hours after starting treatment if no local policy exists yet.
Who It Names or Affects
- Public school districts in Alaska
- Students who have live head lice or bacterial conjunctivitis
- Parents or guardians of students with these conditions
Terms To Know
- Bacterial conjunctivitis
- An eye infection often called pink eye that is caused by bacteria.
- Live head lice
- Active insects found in a person's hair; the law specifically addresses live lice rather than dead ones or eggs alone.
Limits and Unknowns
- The specific rules for bacterial conjunctivitis and head lice only apply if the school district has not already created its own policy.
- School districts may choose to write stricter policies than what this law requires as a minimum standard.