Contents
- Background on the Healthy Schools Act
- How the act affects maintenance staff
- Applying IPM in your school
- Identifying pests
- Selecting least-hazardous methods
- Maintaining records
- Posting before treatments
- Exemptions-Posting, notification and recordkeeping
- School IPM kit for maintenance and operations staff
The Healthy Schools Act put into law right-to-know requirements such as notification, posting, and recordkeeping for pesticides
used at public schools and public and private child day care facilities (excluding family day care homes). The Healthy Schools
Act also requires pesticide use reporting by licensed pest control businesses that work in schools and child day care facilities.
Additionally, pesticides with a conditional, interim, or experimental use registration that also contain a new active ingredient
or is for a new use are prohibited from being used on a school site or child day care facility. A pesticide is also prohibited
if it has been canceled, suspended, or phased out. 
more...
Resources:
- Healthy Schools Act (HSA) text, PDF (105 kb) - Text from the California Education Code, Food & Agriculture Code and Health & Safety Code related to the Healthy Schools Act.
Your school district’s IPM coordinator (or "designee") is responsible for carrying out the requirements of the Healthy Schools Act. Maintenance and operations staff will generally work with the IPM coordinator, other school staff, and possibly with pest management contractors, to do the following:
- Maintain records of pesticides used at each school site for at least four years.
- Develop lists of pesticide treatments expected in the coming year, to be used for notifying parents.
- Communicate with other district staff as necessary so that concerned parents (who have registered with the district) are notified at least 72 hours before individual pesticide applications.
- Post warning signs at least 24 hours before pesticide treatments and 72 hours afterward.
The best way to reduce overall pesticide use is by adopting an integrated pest management (IPM) program. The Healthy Schools Act requires DPR to help you in implementing IPM programs at schools. It also exempts certain pesticides, PDF (242 kb).
Resources:
- Healthy Schools Act reminders for the new school year, PDF (1.7 kb)
-
Frequently Asked Questions About The Healthy Schools Act (July
2010)
color, PDF (365 kb) b&w, PDF (452 kb)
Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a problem-solving approach to pest management that helps pest managers make the best possible decisions. An IPM program may change the way you perform some of your maintenance duties. Here are some steps you can take to apply IPM in your school:
- Learn what IPM is. A good place to start is the U.S. EPA’s IPM for Schools: A How-To Manual.
- School IPM Publications - Includes IPM curricula, guidebook, practices for common pests, posters, recordkeeping calendar and more.
- Get trained in IPM techniques. Some training resources are listed here, and your district probably has some of them already. In addition, DPR facilitates school IPM training sessions for school district designees (IPM coordinators) in various locations throughout California each year. Details will be posted on this web site. Seek guidance from your district IPM coordinator.
- Get information on specific pest problems. For practical recommendations on how to manage specific pests using least-hazardous methods, see:
- Least toxic alternatives for Argentine ants, fleas, and white grubs of lawns, PDF (140 kb) A DPR Pest Management Assessment by Dr. Nita Davidson.
- Pest Notes – Fact sheets on a variety of
structural and
landscape pests from the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management
Program (UCIPM). - Fact sheets from Central Contra Costa Sanitary District
- U.S. EPA IPM in Schools: A How-To Manual
- University of Florida School IPM web site
Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a problem-solving approach to pest management that helps pest managers make the best possible decisions. An IPM program may change the way you perform some of your maintenance duties. Here are some steps you can take to apply IPM in your school:
Anyone can learn to recognize the most common pests, with the help of some good photographs or identification keys. Identifying less common pests may require help from professionals. Either way, identification is an indispensable step in the IPM process. Different pest species often have very different biologies and habits, which means that management methods will also vary.
Resources:
For identifying insects on your own, try:
- UCIPM Key to Identifying Common Household Ants. This resource includes the ant species that are most likely to be a nuisance around California homes and structures, with a step-by-step key, illustrations, photos, and species summaries. From the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UCIPM).
- How to manage pests (UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program). Check the excellent photos on this site to help identify your pest. Specific to California.
- UCIPM Weed Photo Gallery. The UC IPM Weed Photo Gallery includes many, but not all, weed species commonly found in California farms and landscapes, organized by common name.
- Online insect identification (West Virginia University Extension Services). A well-organized page of insect identification links.
- Virginia Tech Insect Identification Laboratory. Here you will find a simple, nontechnical key to major insect groups, and more.
If you would like further help with identification, you may contact:
- County Cooperative Extension offices. List of offices with phone numbers and email addresses. Depending on the county, your Cooperative Extension Farm or Home Advisor may be able to help with identification.
In an IPM program, prevention is always the first and
least hazardous strategy. Before using pesticides, make sure
you have applied as many preventative measures as possible (see
links below for tips). Also, monitor pest populations
to make sure that the problem is really serious enough to require
treatment.
When you do use pesticides, you will want to choose the least
hazardous products possible for the job. The UCIPM recommendations
below are a good place to start.
If pesticides are needed, remember that the Healthy Schools
Act requires that parents who requested notification be
notified 72 hours before any non-exempted pesticide treatment. (This
notification is in addition to the warning sign which must be posted 24
hours before treatment.) That means that you will probably need to notify
an appropriate administrator or district IPM coordinator well before
any pesticide treatments take place anywhere on school grounds.
Resources:
- Check treatment recommendations for specific pests. UCIPM Pest Notes series.
- Look up active ingredients associated with a product name from DPR’s databases.
- Find toxicity information on pesticide active ingredients . Information on pesticide toxicology from EXTOXNET, a consortium of several universities.
- Other links on managing pests.
- Other links on pesticide hazards.
Maintaining Records |legislative text|
The Healthy Schools Act requires each school site to maintain records of all 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 adding to the warning sign, PDF, (53 kb),the amount of pesticide that was applied to the area and retaining a copy. This is the simplest option, but some schools may choose a more sophisticated written or computer-based system.
In addition, an important part of a successful School IPM Program will include keeping records documenting inspections, monitoring, actions taken, and results.
While you are setting up your recordkeeping system, don’t forget to obtain Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for the pesticides used on school premises, in keeping with CalOSHA requirements.
The law does not require recordkeeping for treatments involving exempt products such as self contained baits and traps. However, we highly recommend that schools record all treatments. Keeping these records is an important part of an IPM program, and also allows schools to document their use of least-toxic alternatives.
Resources:
- Sample Pesticide Application Warning Sign, PDF (53 kb)
- CalOSHA regulations on pesticide hazard communication
- Material Safety Data Sheets(MSDS). Courtesy of Cornell University.
- How to read an MSDS. Explanation of MSDS, courtesy of Princeton University.
Posting Before Treatments |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.
- leave signs for 72 hours after treatment.
- sign must display the term “Warning/Pesticide Treated Area” and include product name, manufacturer’s name, U.S. EPA product registration number, intended date and areas of application, and reason for the pesticide application.
Resources:
Exemptions-Posting, Notification and Recordkeeping legislative text
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.
- 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
exempt pesticides worksheet, PDF (242 kb). 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:
- Pesticides exempted from the Healthy Schools Act, PDF (242 kb) – 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).
To make things easier, we have assembled some essential forms, templates, and information sheets into a printable packet.
Download complete kit or download individual documents below. [Fillable pdfs]