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Parent alleges months-long delays in lice notifications; district says it followed classroom-notification practice
Summary
A parent told the Mahwah board that suspected lice cases at Lape Meadows date back to January and that families were not notified promptly; district officials said protocol is to notify affected homerooms and to escalate when multiple classrooms are involved and that pest mitigation and family outreach were undertaken.
At the public-comment portion of the Mahwah Township Public School District board meeting on June 10, parent Daniel Ryan said he—d compiled district emails and alleged an ongoing head-lice problem at Lape Meadows School dating to early January, arguing that the district failed to notify affected homerooms and did not use a free screening/treatment program offered by a local clinic.
"I received 243 pages of emails," Ryan said, and described a first screened child on Jan. 5, subsequent classroom screenings and what he called delayed communications that left families learning by text messages or word of mouth. He cited the district—s communicable-disease guidance dated July 2019 and said the policy language requires exclusion until a student has written evidence they are free of the condition.
District administrators responded during the meeting that the district notifies families by homeroom when there are isolated cases and expands notification if multiple homerooms are affected. The superintendent said facilities and a pest-management vendor were engaged, and staff worked to connect affected families with resources. The district said it did not withhold information but defended a practice of targeted classroom notifications unless a larger spread is detected.
Board members acknowledged the frustration parents expressed and offered to continue the conversation with building-level administration and the superintendent after the meeting. The board did not take immediate new policy action during the hearing.
Authorities and policy cited in the exchange included bylaw 0167 (public participation) and the district—s communicable-disease sections dated July 2019, which Ryan referenced in saying exclusion was required.
