Decided it would be easier to just copy what I FINALLY got from the Department of Agriculture. At least someone is taking me seriously. The school itself isn’t mean spirited on this subject, just absolutely clueless. It simply isn’t on their radar screen.
Dear Ms. Todd,
I apologize for the delay in responding to your e-mail. Our contacts at the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDOA) have been helping to gather information on your concerns. Specifically, Charles Moses, Environmental Programs Coordinator at NDOA has made contact with the Clark County School district to inquire about pesticide applications at Staton School. The Department ensures that pest control applicators are in compliance with state and federal pesticide regulations.
First, my condolences to you for your terrible loss. Your concern for your twins is understandable, and I want to give you some information that I hope will help you work with your school to ensure that pest management is performed with the least risk to the school community. You may have already heard from a representative from the Operations Department of the Clark County school district, but here is information gathered by Mr. Moses from the school district regarding pest control in general, as well as specific visits for November and December, 2010:
Pest control operations do not take place in the daytime or when children are present in classrooms (application when children are present is prohibited by the labeling). When there is a pest complaint, it is referred to the operations department and the pest control operator will visit the school in the evening to conduct pest control work. The product used inside (ants are usually the target pest) is Demand CS, EPA registration number 100-1066. The pest control operator will visit each classroom where complaints were received and the school administrators (in this case Staton Elementary) will send out notification to all parents that the school is scheduled to have a pest control operator visit the school and pesticides may be applied. The notice that is sent out does not specify that the pest control operations take place in the evening/after hours, so the person that Mr. Moses spoke with said that he is going to fix the notification to state this. Pest control records indicate that the pest control operator visited the school on the following dates but it is not known if pesticides were applied on each of the dates – this information can be retrieved, but the applicator was on vacation when Mr. Moses obtained this information.
December 1: all classrooms with room numbers in the 70’s were visited;
November 1: portable classroom (room 22) was visited;
November 17, room 58 was visited;
November 30, room 71 was visited;
November 22, room 77 was visited.
I also wanted to let you know that Assemblyman Paul Paizley is planning to sponsor a bill to reduce pesticide use at schools in Nevada. If you’d like to offer your support to this effort, you may contact him at:
paizley@asm.state.nv.us; phone number is 775-684-8821; fax is 702-361-7472.
I hope that this is helpful to you. If you have further questions, you may contact me at the number below, or you may contact Charles Moses at (775)353-3716, or at: cmoses@agri.state.nv.us
Sincerely,
Mary Grisier
_________________________________________
Mary Grisier, Pesticides Program
US Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX
Communities & Ecosystems Division
75 Hawthorne Street (CED-5)
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415)947-4213
Visit http://www.epa.gov/pesticides
From: NLTODD@aol.com
To: Mary Grisier/R9/USEPA/US@EPA
Date: 01/12/2011 10:32 AM
Subject: Pesticides in NV Public Schools
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Dear Ms. Grisier, I need some help please. I am the mother of 8 year old twins who are attending the public schools in Las Vegas, Clark Count, NV. (Staton Elementary).
Five years ago I lost my older son, their brother, to pesticide exposure at school which resulted in leukemia from benzine. I am, as you can imagine, very sensitive to this issue.
The public school system in Clark County takes the position of spraying WHILE THE CHILDREN are in school and even in the classroom itself. I keep my children home on those days.
I have talked to the principal about spraying when school is out or at least at 5 p.m. and they tell me I’m the only person who even questions their policy.
I really need some help on the guidelines. I know the pesticides aren’t organic but I need to get an idea of what I can do to try to get the School Board to try to take a safer route for children.
Do you have any ideas to guide me. Thanks so much.
January 27th, 2011 at 11:53 AM
Keep at them and you will get this changed. It is sad that people have to put so much effort in keeping children or anyone safe. I commend you for your work.
January 31st, 2011 at 8:25 AM
Sounds like the school is out of compliance with what they should be doing. So great of you for refusing to back down and for fighting this battle for kids everywhere who don’t have a say in this. Your velvet hammer approach is key, I think.
I hope this makes the rounds everywhere so all school districts will be put on notice that this is not acceptable.