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09/20/02 - Every parent has gained a right to know of
pesticide application to which their children may be exposed if they are
enrolled in the Los Angeles Unified School District. At the beginning of the
school year, parents are given a list of pesticide products that have been
approved for use at LAUSD sites. Parents who wish advance notification of each
pesticide application at their child's school will receive notification by
completing the "Right to Know" form and sending it to the school Principal.
Notification exceptions may occur under emergency circumstances that warrant an
immediate response.
This right is part of a new policy adopted by LAUSD introduced by California
Safe Schools. Called Integrated Pest Management (IPM) the policy pledges to
implement least-toxic measures to control all pest management issues at LAUSD's
hundreds of schools. The policy has become a model for school districts and
communities nationwide.
"As a parent, I am so grateful to California Safe Schools and LAUSD for their
hard work in finding the least toxic and yet effective methods for controlling
pests and weeds in our schools; for including parents and staff in the decision
making process; and for the right to know about potentially harmful applications
of pesticides/herbicides near our kids!" says Jenny Barsumian Brady, a Parent
Representative for CSS.
Past failure to notify parents spurred the formation of LASSC and its campaign
to get the school district to adopt the new policy. CSS Executive Director
Robina Suwol's children walked through a toxic cloud at Sherman Oaks Elementary
School one morning in 1998. The exposure resulted because an LAUSD gardener, in
a white hazardous materials suit, arrived late to spray the herbicide Princep,
which can cause serious health effects in human exposures, particularly in
children, whose developing body systems may be more vulnerable than those of
adults.
California Safe Schools is a project of Community Partners. CSS is committed to
ensuring that all students, teachers, staff and community members who live near
these school sites are in a safe, toxic-free environment.
For more information, contact:
Robina Suwol, Executive Director
California Safe Schools
(818)785-5515
robinasuwol@calisafe.org
www.calisafe.org
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