Warrick, Ind. School Board Setting Application Rules

The legislation proposed earlier this month by state Sen. Beverly Gard, R-Greenfield, would require notification of parents and application after school hours by a licensed professional applicator, according to the report. The bill would also require that the least toxic, nonchemical pest control be used whenever possible.

Julie Slavens, a lobbyist for the Indiana State School Boards Association, said she expects the legislation to come up for a hearing in the Senate in the next few weeks, according to the report. If approved, the bill would go into effect July 1, 2001.

Warrick County schools are ahead of the state as school officials have been drafting a set of rules for applying pesticides on school property since last fall. The proposed Warrick County policy, not yet approved by the full school board, would follow the same guidelines proposed by Sen. Gard: parent notification when pesticides will be used at schools and applications by licensed professionals when the school grounds are empty.

The school board chose to voluntarily implement its own policy based on the proposed legislation. The rules were drafted in the fall, approved by the board’s policy committee and reviewed and modified Jan. 18, 2001. The full school board will most likely vote on the policy Feb. 5, according to the Courier & Press report.

The Indiana bill is similar to the “Healthy Schools Act of 2000," which was signed into law in September 2000, that requires parents to be notified anytime weed or pest control products are used on school campuses in California. For more information about the California legislation, click here: California Schools Required To Provide Spray Notification.