Background on the Healthy Schools Act
  What the Healthy Schools Act means for you

  Annual notifications of pesticide use
  Notifications before each pesticide treatment
  Warning signs before treatments
  School recordkeeping
  Statewide data on pesticides in schools
  Voluntary integrated pest management (IPM) at your school

  What is integrated pest management (IPM)?
  Find information on pesticide hazards
  Examples of school IPM programs

The Healthy Schools Act of 2000 (Assembly Bill 2260) put into code the DPR's existing voluntary school IPM program and added some new requirements, such as parental notification of pesticide applications, warning signs in pesticide-treated areas, recordkeeping at schools, and pesticide use reporting by licensed pest control businesses that work in schools.   

Resources:

• Annual Notifications of Pesticide Use legislative text

  The Healthy Schools Act requires each school IPM coordinator to notify parents of all pesticide products expected to be applied during the upcoming year. These notifications must identify the active ingredient or ingredients in each product, as well as the product name itself. Remember that there are usually many products that contain a given active ingredient. Also, there is occasionally more than one active ingredient in a product. If a school site plans to use a product that was not listed in the annual notification, the school designee must notify all parents at least 72 hours before application.
  
  Certain pesticides are exempt from posting, notification, or recordkeeping under the law. The categories of products exempted are:

  • Self-contained baits and traps.
  • Gels or pastes used for crack-and-crevice treatments.
  • Antimicrobials.
  • Products listed as minimum-risk pesticides by the U.S. EPA.
  
  
• Notifications Before Each Pesticide Treatment     legislative text

  School IPM coordinators must notify interested parents of planned pesticide treatments at least 72 hours before each application. In practice, this means that parents should receive a letter each year asking if they would like to register to receive these notifications. If they register, they should receive some kind of notification (for example, an e-mail or a letter sent home with students) before any pesticide treatments are used on school grounds. The notices must include product name, active ingredient(s), and intended date of application. Certain pesticides are exempt from notification under the law.

  Resources:
   Look up active ingredients from product names. DPR product/label databases.

• Warning Signs legislative text

  The Healthy Schools Act requires each school site to post warning signs 24 hours before treatment at each site where pesticides will be applied. The signs must remain for 72 hours after the application.

• School recordkeeping legislative text

  Pesticide use at school is a matter of public record. The Healthy Schools Act requires each school site to maintain records of all nonexempt pesticide use at the school site for a period of four years, and to make this information available to the public upon request. A school site may meet these requirements, for example, by retaining a copy of the warning sign posted for each application. This is the simplest option, but some schools may choose a more sophisticated written or computer-based logging system.

  Note that some pesticide products are exempt from recordkeeping.

• Statewide School Pesticide Use Data     legislative text

  California's pesticide use reporting (PUR) program is recognized as the most comprehensive in the world. The Healthy Schools Act will increase the reach of the PUR databases to specifically track pesticides used in specific school environments. These new reporting requirements take effect January 1, 2002, and will require more detailed use reports, on an annual basis, from licensed pest control businesses treating for pests on school sites.

  Resources:
     Regulations on school pesticide use reporting 

• Voluntary Integrated Pest Management (IPM) at Your School  legislative text

  DPR and the Healthy Schools Act encourage voluntary adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) programs by all California school districts. IPM is a problem-solving approach to pest management that allows pest managers to minimize the use of pesticides. Parents can promote least-hazardous pest management programs by encouraging their school district to develop an IPM policy. A clear IPM policy statement serves as a public agreement on how pest control will be performed.

  Resources:
    Sample School IPM Policy [external web site]

Integrated pest management (IPM) is a widely accepted approach to pest management that results in effective suppression of pest populations while minimizing human health and environmental hazards.   

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