Pesticides in schools
Take Action!

Banding Together to Reduce Pesticides in Schools

One of the first things you should do is to learn about integrated pest management (IPM). You don’t need to know how to control every pest or all about the chemicals used. The important thing is to understand the principles of IPM and why it is better than the typical method of regularly applying pesticides. That way, you can help spread the work at parent-teacher meetings, school board meetings, and other places where you can encourage your schools to adopt IPM practices (if they haven’t already done so).

Three good sites to begin with are EPA’s School IPM site

at http://www.epa.gov/children/ucando/ucd_scho.htm,

the Safer Pest Control Project site

at http://www.spcpweb.org/

and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science’s School IPM site at http://schoolipm.ifas.ufl.edu/.

Talk to principals, school board members and others to let them know you are concerned about pesticide use at schools and that you want notification policies in place and safer means of controlling pests. Furthermore, urge you local school district to adopt an official policy. One example of a model school IPM policy can be found at the Web site of the Washington Toxics Coalition by clicking here.

Also, consider urging your federal legislators to revisit the issue of bill called the School Environment Protection Act of 2002 (SEPA). The bill failed to pass its first time through Congress, and then was attached as an amendment to the Farm Bill that was voted on in 2002. The Farm Bill passed, but SEPA was removed from the bill before the vote, in early May, due to opposition from the House Agriculture Committee.

Among its various provisions, SEPA would have promoted pest management practices centered on effective nontoxic measures, and it would have required notification to parents and school staff when pesticides are used in the schools. Although 31 states have adopted pesticide laws with one or more of SEPA’s provisions, state laws are uneven and inadequate overall. Only four states have laws that cover all the major areas that SEPA would have: Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

“The School Environment Protection Act would have been an important federal safeguard to ensure that children are protected from pesticide exposure while in school,” says Rochelle Davis, Executive Director of Generation Green. “Strong support remains for this measure, and voters should contact senators and representatives to encourage future efforts at passage.”

Click here to find out if your senators or representative supported or opposed SEPA, and to send letters of thanks/encouragement or disappointment as appropriate.

Click here if you need help determining who your representative and senator are, and how to contact them.

You can also learn more about pesticide reduction by getting our Pesticide Reduction Action Kit. To obtain a copy, contact us by e-mail at info@generationgreen.org or call 800-652-0827.