Children are especially vulnerable to harmful chemicals because they explore their environments with their hands and mouths. They eat, drink, and breathe more than adults on a per-bodyweight basis, and they cannot metabolize toxins such as pesticides as well as adults. Meaning they ingest more toxins and it builds up in higher concentrations in their bodies. When children are exposed to neurotoxic chemicals as their brains develop, it can permanently alter the structure of their neural architecture and cause long-term damage.
Exposure to pesticides at schools has been associated with illnesses amongst both employees and students. We need to minimize the use of pesticides in our environment - especially in our schools.
Pesticide Use in Redwood City Schools
The Redwood City School District suspended a planned imidacloprid spray on September 1, 2022 after parents expressed their concerns about the routine applications of toxic chemicals at school.
Classified as a neonicotinoid, imidacloprid is highly toxic, and has been banned from use in Europe. Neonicotinoids have been held responsible for massive bee die-offs. Several studies have showed that the consequences of neonicotinoids reach beyond invertebrates, and can be harmful to many other animals, including humans. A growing body of research provides efficacious alternatives to pesticides. The is just one of many studies detailing the multitude of alternatives to neonicotinoids. In 78% of cases, at least one non-chemical alternative method can replace neonicotinoids.
The blanket use of pesticides on school properties is out of date. Eliminating pesticide sprays on school property is not only something that parents care about, but is also in line with the latest research on children's health, and common practice. Dozens of school districts have moved to an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plans that either does not rely chemical controls, or only uses them as a last resort. Eliminating pesticide sprays has been common practice in CA school districts for over 10 years (See pg. 8). Palo Alto Unified School District, as noted in the report, has stopped using pesticides on school properties altogether.
Menlo Park School District’s IPM plan states that they are pesticide-free. Pesticides are only used in emergency conditions.
Palo Alto Unified School District has won awards for their IPM strategies and ability to avoid using pesticides.
Berkeley Public Schools have also been working towards eliminating pesticide use. BPS’s operations page
This is a excellent article, reviewing current policies, practices, etc. on organic turn management. It has a lot of good citations with additional information.
The CA Department of Pesticide Regulation has good resources for alternatives to pesticides, available here under the "Pest Management" tab.
Beyond Pesticides has an insect-by-insect guide to chemical-free pest control, available here.
The Lawn+Land network has some great resources about pesticide selection for least toxic alternatives.
UCANR has some great IPM strategies for turf.
Redwood City School District is actively looking into options that will reduce the use of pesticides on school grounds. This work to eliminate pesticides from school campuses goes hand in hand with our work to eliminate pesticides served in school meals. We look forward to seeing RCSD update its Integrated Pest Management plans to remove pesticides from their strategies on school properties.
You can follow Redwood City School District’s progress here.