CALIFORNIA STATE (MPG) - California Safe Schools, a nonprofit organization dedicated to children's environmental health and safety, reminds parents, guardians, teachers and school staff at all California K-12 public schools and childcare centers to file the Right to Know Pesticide Use Notification form at the start of the school year.

This form is mandated under California legislation, the Healthy Schools Act.

Filing this form with your school office ensures that you receive advance notification of any pesticide applications in or around the school site. It is a critical safeguard and part of each school's commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment.

Under the Healthy Schools Act, a "school site" is defined as any facility used for public day care, kindergarten, elementary or secondary school purposes. The term includes the buildings or structures, playgrounds, athletic fields, school vehicles or any other area of school property visited or used by pupils. "School site" does not include postsecondary educational facilities attended by secondary pupils or private day care or school facilities.

The Right to Know Notification requires schools to provide at least 72 hours' advance notice before any pesticide application on a campus.

In rare cases when pesticides must be used immediately to address a health or safety emergency, schools can apply them without the standard 72-hour advance notice. However, the Healthy Schools Act requires that the school district designee make every effort to provide the required notification, even under emergency conditions.

Filing the Right to Know Pesticide Use Notification with your school's Main Office ensures that you will receive alerts before applications occur. This allows parents, guardians or teachers to make informed decisions on application days. Notification can be requested for any reason, not solely for known health concerns.

The Right to Know Pesticide Use Notification program began with the Los Angeles Unified School District’s groundbreaking Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Policy in 1999. This policy embraces the precautionary principle, the idea that if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing harm to the public or environment, precautionary measures should be taken, even without conclusive scientific evidence. As part of this approach, Los Angeles Unified School District has not used Roundup for more than 20 years, setting an important precedent in protecting children's health. The success of the Los Angeles Unified School District's Integrated Pest Management policy led directly to the passage of the California Healthy Schools Act of 2000.

The "Right to Know" notifications are a critical tool that ensure parents, guardians, teachers and staff remain informed, connected and empowered within their school community.

“For more information about pesticide application policies at your school, visit your school's website or contact the school or school district directly," said Robina Suwol, founder and executive director of California Safe Schools.

Learn more about the California Healthy Schools Act at https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/hsa_factsheet.pdf and see the full text at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/99-00/bill/asm/ab_2251 2300/ab_2260_bill_20000927_chaptered.pdf.

The California Safe Schools website is https://www.calisafe.org/ and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s website is https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/.

California Safe Schools is dedicated to protecting the health and safety of students, teachers, and school staff through education, advocacy, and policy initiatives that promote safe learning environments across California. California Safe Schools spearheaded the effort to create the Los Angeles Unified School District's celebrated Integrated Pest Management Policy in 1999 that led to California legislation such as the Healthy Schools Act.