Welcome to the Department of Pesticide Regulation
For School Administrators
 
Back to School IPM Home

Contents

Background on the Healthy Schools Act

page top

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.    wedge 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.

Complying with the Healthy Schools Act

page top

The Healthy Schools Act 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:

Developing a School IPM Policy

page top

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.

Resources:

Training Staff in School IPM

page top

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:

Contracting with Pest Control Businesses

page top

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.     wedge more...

Resources:

Maintaining Records       legislative text

page top

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 adding to the warning sign 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 logging 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)– when available – 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. 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:

Notifying Parents and Guardians       legislative text

page top

The law requires schools to notify parents in two situations:

  1. 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.

  2. 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:

Posting Before Treatments       legislative text

page top

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:

Exemptions-Posting, Notification and recordkeeping     legislative text

page top

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 (136 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 (136 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).

Responding to Inquiries on Pesticide Hazards

page top

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:

Examples of School IPM Programs

page top

"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:

Pest Management Alliance Grants

Pest Management Demonstration Grants

IPM Innovator Awards

School IPM Kit

page top

To make things easier, we have assembled some essential forms, templates, and information sheets into a kit.