Legislature
approves the School Children's Health Act!
Thanks to all
your calls, emails and letters to the NC
Senate, the School Children's Health
Act passed the NC House and Senate unanimously
on July 6!
Congratulations on the good
work that so many of you have done to get
the School Children's Health Act through
the North Carolina House and Senate.
>>
Read the Press Release.
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Artwork by Lindsey
Rogers. |
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The School Children's Health Act, bill
number H1502, will require public schools in our state
to reduce the risk of student and staff exposures to
pesticides, arsenic-treated wood, diesel fumes and other
sources of toxic contaminants. It accomplishes this by
setting guidelines for least-toxic school pest control,
notifying parents of school pesticide use, reducing risks
from arsenic-treated wood, mercury elimination, reducing
school bus idling, and preventing mold and mildew in
school buildings. More details about
the School Children's Health Act.
Thank your
NC senator for voting to approve the School Children's
Health Act, bill number H1502.
Thank your Senator
Would you like to thank your NC
senator for supporting the School Children's Health
Act? Here's how:
1) Find out who represents you in the NC
Senate using this
look-up page.
2) You can use this sample script for your
email or call your Senator. If you have any questions
or problems, please don't hesitate to call us at 919-833-5333,
or write to us at
.
My name is [Your Name] from [Your
town], and I'm calling to thank
you for voting 'yes' on the School Children's
Health Act, HB 1502. This bill will protect our children
from toxic contaminants at school, including pesticides,
arsenic, and diesel exhaust fumes. Thank you very
much!
Background - School Children's
Health Act
The North Carolina Senate passed H 1502 unanimously on
June 29, 2006, and the NC House gave final approval to
the bill on July 6, 2006. The Senate defeated an amendment
offered by Senator
Jim Jacumin (R-Burke) that would have stripped out
vital protections for school children from arsenic-treated
wood. H 1502 addresses issues of public health on North
Carolina's public school campuses. The legislation will
establish guidelines for reducing exposures to pesticides,
diesel fumes, mold & mildew, arsenic treated wood,
and elemental mercury in our state's schools.
Specifically, the legislation directs schools
to do the following:
-
Adopt a recommended model Integrated
Pest Management (IPM) program in order to reduce
pesticide exposures.
-
Notify parents and school staff when
high-hazard pesticides are to be used on school property.
-
Exempt certain low-hazard pesticide
products (such as baits) from notification requirements.
-
Prohibit new uses of arsenic-treated
wood on playgrounds or other areas where children
are at risk of exposure.
-
Seal existing arsenic-treated wood
on playgrounds and/or develop a timeline for its
removal from public school property.
-
Ban the use of elemental mercury
in classrooms.
-
Establish a school bus exhaust and
no idling policy to reduce exposure to diesel fumes.
-
Follow guidelines for mold and mildew
prevention when building new school facilities.
The bill also directs the State Board of
Education to adopt guidelines to assist schools in accomplishing
each of these goals. The bill will impose no costs on
the state budget.
H 1502 was sponsored in the House by Represenatives
Grier Martin (D-Wake), Marian McLawhorn (D-Pitt) and
Marvin Lucas (D-Cumberland). The bill was presented in
the Senate by Senator Bill Purcell (D-Scotland).
The complete text of the School Children's
Health Act is on line at the General Assembly's website.
Links for more information about:
Toxic Free NC Action
Alerts are a publication of
Toxic Free North Carolina
206 New Bern Place, Raleigh, NC 27601, (919) 833-5333,
1-877-NO-SPRAY
http://www.toxicfreenc.org
Mission: Toxic Free NC advocates
for alternatives to toxic pesticides in North Carolina
by empowering people to make sound decisions about their
health and environment.
To get monthly action alerts
in your email, or to change your subscription information,
go to http://www.toxicfreenc.org/involved/subscribe.html.
