California Agriculture

The Healthy Schools Act of 2000 established right-to-know procedures for pesticide use in California public schools, and mandated using least-toxic pest management methods as state policy. In a survey conducted 2 years after the law’s passage, school districts that had integrated pest management (IPM) programs generally used more ecologically sound pest management tactics than districts that did not, and most of those said that IPM had improved their pest management effectiveness. The Healthy Schools Act requires that schools post warning signs, keep pest management records, provide notifications to parents and staff, and maintain a list of parents desiring further notifications. A majority of California’s school districts have implemented at least three of these four requirements, with about half reporting full compliance.