Some doctors want to ease 'no nit' policy at schools

BOCA RATON, Fla. - You can say Amy Graff is a nitpicker.

"We go out to the house, get everything we can out of their heads and check other family members, see if anybody else has lice," said Graff, a lice and nit removal expert.

The Boca Raton mom specializes in "LouseCalls."

Graff started her day checking for the bugs at a school, but was then dispatched to a house where parents were desperate for help.

"This is pretty much our busiest time, when kids come back from summer vacation and go back to school," said Graff.

Lice are nothing new. The tiny, parasitic insects feed off human blood and spread mainly by head-to-head contact.

"All it takes is one head to head picture, standing in line with your friend at school," said Graff.

Despite that threat, the American Academy of Pediatrics wants to ease restrictions.

According to the academy, kids with head lice should not necessarily be sent packing.

"Kids were missing so much school, that they looked into it and said after one treatment kids can go back to school," Doctor Jessica Prince, Director of Pediatric E.R. at St. Mary's Medical Center.

According to some doctors, it is a matter of recognizing head lice as a nuisance rather than a health threat.

When it comes right down to it, they do not spread diseases.

"Yes they are not dangerous, but that puts a lot of stress on the schools and nurses to keep monitoring kids, day after day," said Graff.

So what can parents do to prevent the spread at home?

"There are a ton of new things, there's vacuums, there's dryers, there's this, there's that, but you have to remove the eggs," said Graff.

That is the tricky part: One that requires a good eye, and a tool that stands the test of time.

"You're best friend in the whole wide world is a lice comb that you should keep forever and ever," said Graff.