LANSING - Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) officials today reminded all parents and guardians of their right to be notified prior to the use of pesticides on school and licensed daycare center property and the need for school officials to implement an integrated pest management (IPM) program if pesticide applications are made indoors at these facilities. 

IPM uses all suitable techniques in a total management system to prevent pests from reaching unacceptable levels or to reduce existing pest populations to acceptable levels.

"One of the main objectives of IPM is to reduce any potential risk of pesticide exposure to children attending Michigan's schools and licensed daycare centers," said Gina Alessandri, MDARD's Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division Director. "The only pesticides exempted from notification are sanitizers, germicides, disinfectants, antimicrobial agents, or baits and gels."

The school or licensed day care facility administrator is responsible for providing annual, written notification of pesticide application information to parents or guardians.  For schools, notification must be provided within 30 days after the beginning of the school year; for licensed day care centers, notification must be provided in September.

Schools or daycare centers must provide a 48-hour advance notice prior to a pesticide application. Annual notification of pesticide applications shall include designation of the commonly-used primary entrances at which posting of pesticide application information is required. The notice must be posted at entrance doors, and then a second notification can be made by one of the following methods:

- Posting in a public, common area
- E-mail
- A telephone call (direct contact with a parent or guardian or a message recorded on an answering machine)
- Providing students with a written notice to be delivered to the parent or guardian
- Posting on the school's or daycare center's website

Parents or guardians also have the right to request to be notified by first-class U.S. mail. The notification must be postmarked at least three days before the application.

IPM program and notification requirements ensure all Michigan's schools and licensed daycare centers are maintaining the highest standards for pesticide safety.

Additional information about IPM and pesticide notification is available on the MDARD website at www.michigan.gov/mdard.

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