Maryland Pesticide Network

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Public Schools Law

What You Need to Know to Protect Your Children and You

Pesticides are a Last Resort!

This law limits the use of pesticides in and around public schools. It says that pesticides can be used only after all other non toxic choices have been exhausted or are unreasonable.

The bill defines IPM as, "A managed pest control program in which methods are integrated and used to keep pests from causing economic, health related or aesthetic injury through the utilization of site or pest inspections, pest population monitoring, evaluating the need for control and the use of one or more pest control methods including sanitation, structural repair, non-chemical methods and, when non-toxic options are unreasonable or have been exhausted, pesticides in order to: a- minimize the use of pesticides and b-minimize the risk to human health and the environment associated with pesticide applications.

At the start of the school year all parents and school staff must be given the school's pest control plan. They must also be given a list of pesticides that may be used during the school year.

If Pesticides are Used in Your School

Elementary schools

All parents, guardians and staff must be notified at least 24 hours in advance when pesticides are to be used. They must be notified within 24 hours after they were used, if it was an emergency situation. This does not include bait stations.

Public middle and high schools

All parents, guardians, students and staff have the right to sign up to be notified about the use of pesticides during the school year. If they sign up they must be notified 24 hours in advance of the use of pesticides. They must be told within 24 hours after they were used due to an emergency.

All Schools

At least one week prior to the space spraying of a pesticide, ALL parents, guardians and school employees must be notified about the upcoming application.

Schools must provide a means of in-school notification before a bait station is used in the school. The school must include a sign posted on the door of the room in which the bait station is placed.

Notices to Parents, Guardians and Staff about pesticide use must include:

• the common name of the pesticide
• the location of the pesticide application, the planned date and time of application
• some of the possible health effects of the pesticides being used (based on the material safety data sheet of the pesticide to be applied), and the following statement from the US EPA's office of Pesticide Programs: "Where possible, persons who are potentially more sensitive such as pregnant women and infants (less than two years old) should avoid unnecessary pesticide exposure."

If your school is not fully complying with the law, please report this to the school principal, the MD Department of Agriculture at 410-841-5700 and please contact the Maryland Pesticide Network at 410-849-3909.

(Full text of law can be accessed online at www.mda.state.md.us. Type in "school pesticide.")