Healthy Schools Act Law Expanded to Further Protect Children in CA

As California children return from winter break, there’s greater emphasis on safer pest control methods at the places where they learn and play.

The California Healthy Schools Act (HSA) law gives parents the right to know what pesticides are being applied at public K-12 schools and licensed child care centers. New changes to the HSA expand the scope of information for parents, and, aim to minimize pesticide use by educating school staff on the least-toxic ways to control pests.

Pesticides may be used on school campuses to get rid of cafeteria cockroaches, gophers on the gridiron and weeds and more on landscapes and playing fields.

“Less pesticide use means students and staff have a reduced risk of possible exposure to pesticides,” said Senior Environmental Scientist Laurie Brajkovich, of the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s School Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. “Integrated pest management is a successful method that reduces the use of chemical pesticides while tackling pests through pest prevention, sanitation, and monitoring.”

Expansion of the HSA is required by SB 1405, written by Sen. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) and signed last year by Gov. Jerry Brown. The changes go into effect starting in January and affect 10,000 schools and more than 14,500 child care centers in California.

What’s New: IPM plans, pesticide use reports, upcoming training

Schools and child care centers applying pesticides are now required to establish an IPM plan, and report pesticide use annually to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). DPR will soon be posting an IPM plan template to its Web site to make this transition easier.

• Having an IPM plan at schools and child care centers allows for parents to view pest management strategies. These plans will be posted online, or, sent out to parents or guardians and staff with the annual notice of which pesticides are expected to be used at the site in the coming year.
• Previously, the law only required pest management companies that apply pesticides at schools and child care centers to report use to DPR. Now, under the amended law, anyone who applies pesticides – including school district and child care staff – will need to report the pesticides that were used, the time of application, location and amount of the product.
• Starting July 1, 2016, anyone who applies any pesticide at a school or child care center will need to complete a DPR-approved training first. This includes school and child care staff, and hired pesticide applicators applying pesticides at those sites.

Growing IPM goals

IPM not only provides an opportunity to implement non-chemical control methods, it can also save time and money. Since prevention is key to a successful IPM program, staff members don’t have to buy as many pesticides – or be trained on how to use them – if they are cleaning properly and monitoring for pests. DPR has held workshops since 2002 to educate school staff about IPM techniques and practices. In 2014, DPR trained 168 people, representing 87 California school districts.

Several school districts in California already have a successful IPM program, such as theLos Angeles Unified School District, which was honored with one of DPR’s first IPM Innovator Awards. The district’s IPM policy and procedures manual are online for anyone who wants to know about the way the district tackles pest problems.

The expanded HSA law will better protect children from possible pesticide exposures through enhanced education and prevention.

More information about changes to the Healthy Schools Act can be found on the DPR Web site.

Information, photo and video submitted by Department of Pesticide Regulation.

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