Creating a Pesticide Policy for Your School
1. Ask school officials what pesticide products are being used on campus. In some situations you may have to do a public records request. In many states you can learn how to do a public records request at the state attorney general website, or by contacting the state attorney general’s office.
2. Review what the side affects of those pesticide products are.
(Robina, can we list some of the common pesticides used on school campuses and the effects of those pesticides (with references))
3. Review the alternatives to using those pesticide projects.
(can we list some alternatives to common pesticides)
4. It’s helpful to have other concerned parents on board. Share information and meet with concerned parents and community members.
(meet with principal before writing letter to school district?)
4.5 After learning what pesticides are used on the school grounds, familiarizing yourself with the effects of those pesticides, and alternatives to them, and sharing this information with a group of other concerned parents, request a meeting with the principal to discuss eliminating or managing specific pesticides at school.
5. Send letter to school district and simultaneous to your elected officials (local, state and federal). Share that other school districts are creating pesticide management policies and using alternatives successfully, and that you would like to see your school district do the same.
6. Attend a school board meeting and request that a Pesticide Oversight Committee be established. The committee should include concerned parents, school board members, teachers, maintenance workers, a public health representative, and ideally community members including a doctor, environmentalists, etc.
The Challenges of Maintaining a Pesticide Oversight Committee
Part of the challenge in establishing a Pesticide Oversight Committee that will be effective is that parents will need to have enough time to participate. It’s very important that the oversight committee not be seen as an enemy by the school district, but rather as a place where all the players can sit and discuss the best way reduce pesticide use. The purpose of the committee is to reduce potential health threats to small children. Robina’s oversight committee meets the second Friday of every month from 10am – 1pm, and then many of the committee members share lunch and further discussion together.