What
parents should know about the
School Children’s Health Act
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In 2006, the
NC Legislature passed the School Children’s
Health Act, a bill that is designed to reduce student & staff
exposures to several toxicants at school. They are: pesticides,
mercury, diesel fumes, mold & mildew,
and arsenic-treated wood. The bill went into effect October
1, 2006.
Pesticides
The new law does not prohibit
any pesticides or specific pest control practices. Instead,
it directs schools to adopt a common-sense system called
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) that dramatically reduces
the use of pesticides while effectively controlling pests
at school. IPM has been shown to reduce the cost of pest
control for many NC school districts. School districts have
5 years to phase in their new IPM programs, though pesticide
use notification begins October 1, 2006.
What
the state must do
The bill directs the state Board of Education to adopt guidelines
on Integrated Pest Management and pesticide use notification.
What
schools must do
The bill requires local districts to adopt an IPM policy,
and to notify parents annually of potentially hazardous pesticide
applications (low-hazards pesticide applications such as
baits and traps are exempted from notice). Parents who request
it must also be notified 72 hours in advance of any potentially
hazardous pesticide applications not covered by the annual
notice.
What
parents can do
Mercury
What
schools must do
The bill directs local districts to prohibit the use of
bulk elemental mercury in science classrooms.
Arsenic-Treated
Wood
What
the state must do
The bill directs the state Board of Education to adopt
guidelines on sealing existing arsenic-treated wood on
playground equipment, OR establish a time-line for school
districts to remove such playground equipment & test
soil.
What
schools must do
The bill directs local school districts to no longer purchase
or accept donations of arsenic- treated wood. It also requires
districts to either seal any arsenic-treated playground
equipment OR establish a time-line for its removal. Local
districts are encouraged to test soil for contamination
in areas where children are at high risk of exposure (but
testing is not required).
What
parents can do
Wooden playground equipment is relatively rare on school
campuses. However, if your school has arsenic-treated wood
in children’s play areas, make sure that themaintenance
staff is aware of the new law. You could even offer to
organize a workday to seal the wood with an oil-based stain
or sealant.
Diesel Fumes
What
the state must do
The bill directs the state Board of Education to adopt
guidelines on reducing student exposure to diesel fumes
from idling school buses. The state Board adopted the new
guidelines in January of 2006.
What
schools must do
The bill directs local school districts to adopt policies
to reduce student exposure to diesel emissions. All districts
are reportedly already in compliance with the new guidelines.
What
parents can do
Watch for excessive idling, or nose-to-tail parking/idling
of school buses and report any problems you see to the
school district staff.
Mold & Mildew
What
the state must do
The bill directs the state board to study mold & mildew
prevention for incorporation into school facility guidelines.
What
schools must do
Schools are not required to follow state school facility
guidelines when building new facilities, but they typically
do.
Links for more
information
Our Toxic-Free
Kids Program:
Text
of the School Children's Health Act
NCSU Cooperative Extension's School
IPM Program
