A bill being considered by Maryland’s state government would require schools to send extensive pesticide application notification packets to all parents in their respective districts, said Jerry Bukovsky, executive vice president of the Maryland Pest Control Association. The information, which would be sent quarterly, would contain an IPM plan, a list of pesticides used, application dates and locations, MSDSs and product labels.
Such a packet could run 20 pages or more, said PCT columnist Dr. Richard Kramer, placing an undue burden on Maryland schools. Further, Bukovsky said, the bill calls for the packets to be sent to each child in the school system, whether their family requests it or not. The bill would also require that notifications be posted 48 hours in advance.
Meanwhile, officials in neighboring Virginia have also been considering the issue of parental notification. Joe Wilson of PermaTreat, Inc., Fredericks-burg, Va., said Virginia’s Pest Control Review Board (PCRB) has begun a voluntary school IPM education program. The PCRB controls all uses of pesticides in the commonwealth. In response to the concern of some residents, the board is encouraging all state school systems to voluntarily use IPM techniques in schools and to set up a procedure for notifying parents who want to be made aware of pesticide application in their child’s school. The board also suggested that permanent signs be posted in areas that are treated regularly.
Meanwhile, schools in nearby Washington, D.C., burdened with more pressing concerns, have not dealt with the issue of notification, Kramer said.
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| +5% | |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau |
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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
* Percentage change from preceding month |
