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Background on the Healthy Schools Act of 2000
Complying with the Healthy Schools Act
Developing a school IPM policy
Training staff
Contracting with pest control businesses
Maintaining records
Notifying parents and guardians
Posting before treatments
Exemptions from posting, notification and recordkeeping
Responding to inquiries on pesticide hazards
Examples of school IPM programs
School IPM Kit for administrators
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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. 
more...
Resources:
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Healthy Schools Act of 2000 (AB 2260): Summary [pdf] |
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Healthy Schools Act of 2000 (AB 2260): Full Text [pdf] |
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The
Healthy Schools Act of 2000 affects school administrators directly.
At a minimum, districts will need to make sure to:
- Identify a district IPM coordinator (or "designee").
- Maintain records of pesticides
used at each school site for at least four years.
- Notify all parents, guardians and school staff
of expected pesticide treatments for the coming year.
- Give all parents, guardians and school staff the opportunity
to register with the district to receive notification of
individual pesticide treatments.
- Notify registered parents, guardians and
staff at least 72 hours before individual pesticide applications.
- Post warning signs 24 hours before
pesticide treatments and 72 hours afterward.
The Act also encourages school districts to voluntarily adopt IPM
programs, and exempts certain categories of pesticides
from recordkeeping, notification, and posting.
Posting and notification requirements do not apply to activities
undertaken as part of a vocational agricultural program (see
legislative text for details). California
Youth Authority schools are subject to special provisions.
Resources:
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Healthy Schools Act: Frequently Asked Questions |
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Healthy Schools Act: What is mandatory vs. what is voluntary [pdf] |
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Districts need a clear policy statement to develop agreement about
how pest control will be performed. The sample IPM policy included
here (excerpted from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publication, Integrated Pest
Management for Schools: A How-To Manual) minimizes but does
not exclude the use of pesticides. A policy statement on school
pest management should state the intent of the school administration
to implement an IPM program and should provide guidance on what
is specifically expected from district staff or contractors. Some school districts and municipalities
have also developed lists of acceptable pesticide products in
conjunction with their policies. The sample policy statement
below can be adapted and modified to fit your own situation.
more [external web site].
Resources:
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Developing an Official Policy Statement for School Pest
[external web site] From the U.S. EPA handbook Pest Control in the
School Environment: Adopting Integrated Pest Management. |
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School IPM policy template -COMING SOON |
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Staff commitment is critical for the success of a
school IPM program and that requires both training and communication. The
Healthy Schools Act requires DPR to set up training programs in school IPM. DPR
staff have been doing outreach on these topics since 1999, and are now organizing trainings that feature hands-on curricula. These voluntary training opportunities
are targeted at designees (IPM
coordinators) from each school district. Announcements of training
opportunities will be posted at the link below.
In the meantime, there are a number of resources available to increase school
staff knowledge of IPM concepts, including our own School IPM Model Program Guidebook.
Resources:
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Training overview and upcoming training events |
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California School IPM Model Program Guidebook, Department of Pesticide Regulation, PM 02-04 |
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Integrated Pest Management for Schools: A How-To Manual
[external web site]. A comprehensive reference from U.S. EPA Region 9. |
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If your school contracts for all or part of its pest control
activities, you will want to make sure that the company
you hire applies IPM principles, devotes enough time to
do the job right, and is responsive and communicative.
more...
Resources:
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IPM contract performance specifications
[pdf][external web site] from the U.S. EPA Integrated Pest Management for Schools: A How-To Manual. |
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The Healthy Schools Act requires each school site to maintain
records of all pesticide use at the school site for 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.
While you are setting up your recordkeeping system, don't forget to obtain
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)- when available - for the pesticides used
on school premises, in keeping with CalOSHA requirements.
Resources:
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Sample pesticide application warning sign [pdf] |
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CalOSHA regulations on pesticide hazard communication |
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Material Safety Data Sheets(MSDS)
[external web site]. Courtesy of Cornell University. |
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How to read an MSDS [external web site].
Explanation of MSDS, courtesy of Princeton University. |
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The law requires schools to notify parents in two situations:
- Notify parents and staff of expected pesticide treatments for
the coming year.
The Healthy Schools Act requires the district to
notify parents of all pesticide products expected to be
applied at each school site 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, occasionally a product may contain more than one active ingredient. You can look up product names from active ingredient, and
vice versa, using the links below. If a school site plans
to use a product that was not listed in the annual notification,
the school designee must notify all parents and staff at least 72
hours before application.
- Notify interested parents and staff before individual pesticide
applications.
School districts must notify interested parents and staff of planned
pesticide treatments at least 72 hours before each application.
In practice, this means compiling a list of those who
wish to be notified of all treatments, and then sending
out notices (for example, via e-mail or letter sent home with student) when a treatment
is planned. The notices must include the product name, active ingredient(s),
and intended date of application.
Resources:
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Sample annual notification of pesticide use [pdf] |
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Sample annual notification of pesticide use [MS Word] |
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Sample notice of individual pesticide application [MS Word] |
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Look up information on California pesticide products or active ingredients |
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Sample information sheet on the Healthy Schools Act for parents [pdf] |
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Sample notice of opportunity to register for receiving treatment notifications [MS Word] |
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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 treatment,
and should be posted so that they are visible to people entering
the treated area. The Act also specifies the information required
on the signs: product name, manufacturer's name, active ingredients,
date and time of planned treatment, U.S. EPA registration number,
reason for treatment, and the words, "WARNING/PESTICIDE TREATED
AREA."
Resources:
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Sample pesticide application warning sign [pdf] |
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The law
does not require posting, notification, or recordkeeping for
treatments involving certain kinds of pesticide products. The
categories of products exempted are:
- Self-contained baits and traps.
- Gels or pastes used for crack-and-crevice treatments.
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Antimicrobials.
- Products listed as "minimum-risk" pesticides by the
U.S. EPA.
To determine whether a product is exempt
or not, review the categories above, then read the label carefully.
The label is a legal document describing permitted uses for
particular products. To get an idea of which products are
potentially exempt, you may consult our new exempt pesticides worksheet (534 kb) [pdf].
Whether exempt or not, DPR highly recommends that schools record all
pesticide treatments. Keeping these records is an important part of an
IPM program, and allows schools to document their use of least-toxic alternatives.
The HSA also exempts activities undertaken as part of a vocational agricultural
program (see legislative
text for details). California Youth Authority schools are subject to
special provisions. Finally, the law allows for emergency use exemptions
from HSA requirements when immediate use of a pesticide is "necessary to
protect the health and safety of pupils, staff, or other persons, or the school
site."
Resources:
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Pesticides exempted from the Healthy Schools Act (534 kb) [pdf]
- A printable worksheet to help you determine whether recordkeeping, posting,
and notification are legally required for particular pesticide products (NOTE: DPR recommends keeping
records of ALL pest management activities, as part of a sound IPM program). |
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With heightened awareness of pesticide use in schools, you are likely to
receive more inquiries on the safety of particular products. We have integrated authoritative pest management recommendations from UCIPM with DPR's product-label database resources to put all the important information in one place. This resource is called the School Integrated Pest Management Health and EnvironmentaL impacts LookuP Resource (School IPM HELPR).
Resources:
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Go to School IPM HELPR pages |
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Other health and environmental impacts links |
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"Ask someone who has done it." DPR has supported a number of school
IPM programs through its Pest Management Alliance grant programs, and has recognized others through its
IPM Innovator
Awards. DPR has also awarded Pest Management Grants to several school-related demonstration projects.
Resources:
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Pest Management Alliance Grants |
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A Model Integrated Pest Management Plan for Schools (Marin County, 2000) |
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To Develop Tools to Overcome Barriers to Implementing a
Successful IPM program for Schools (Self-Insured Schools of California, 1998) |
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Pest Management Demonstration Grants |
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Kids in Gardens (2000-01) |
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Capacity Building on IPM in Urban Agriculture in Bay Area Public
Schools and Surrounding Low-Income Communities (1998-99) |
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Establishing IPM Programs to Reduce Pesticide Use in
Public Buildings (1996-97) |
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Establishing IPM Programs to Reduce Pesticide Use in
Public Buildings (1995-96) |
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IPM Innovator Awards |
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The Placer Hills Union School District, 1996 |
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The New Haven Unified School District, 1996 |
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The Los Angeles, Fremont, and San Diego City
Unified School Districts, 1994 |
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To make things easier, we have assembled some essential forms,
templates, and information sheets into a kit.
Version for printing only [all PDF]. Download complete kit or download individual documents below.
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Sample Pesticide Application Warning Sign |
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Sample Notice of Opportunity to Register for Receiving Treatment Notifications |
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Sample Notice of Pesticide Application |
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Sample Information Sheet for Parents |
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Sample Annual Notification of Pesticide Use |
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Version you can edit [all
Microsoft Word]. Download complete kit or
download individual documents below. |
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Sample Pesticide Application Warning Sign |
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Sample Notice of Opportunity to Register for Receiving Treatment Notifications |
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Sample Notice of Pesticide Application |
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Sample Information Sheet for Parents |
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Sample Annual Notification of Pesticide Use |
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