44th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2000

REQUESTING THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO ADOPT RULES ON PEST CONTROL IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

WHEREAS, children are especially vulnerable to the toxic effects of chemicals; and

WHEREAS, children deserve environmentally safe schools that promote good health, well-being and learning; and

WHEREAS, many pesticides are known to be neurotoxic and to have adverse effects upon memory, attention, concentration and overall learning; and

WHEREAS, studies have shown a connection between exposure to pesticides and violent behavior; and

WHEREAS, the use of chemical pesticides can be significantly reduced by adopting integrated pest management policies that rely primarily on mechanical, physical, cultural and biological measures to control pests; and

WHEREAS, integrated pest management programs encourage the avoidance of pesticides whenever possible and reserve the application of chemical pesticides for when other methods have failed; and

WHEREAS, pesticide applicators are becoming more cognizant of the techniques and benefits of integrated pest management; and

WHEREAS, integrated pest management is cost effective and has been successfully implemented in public schools across the country, including schools in Texas, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon and California, and in schools in New Mexico, including Freedom high school in Albuquerque and the university of New Mexico; and

WHEREAS, integrated pest management in schools is endorsed by the United States environmental protection agency, the national parent teacher association and the national education association; and

WHEREAS, most New Mexico public schools do not practice integrated pest management, spray pesticides routinely and do not notify school occupants prior to pesticide applications; and

WHEREAS, school districts can avail themselves of numerous free and inexpensive resources for implementing integrated pest management;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the state board of education be requested to adopt rules that eliminate the routine or calendar spraying of pesticides in New Mexico public schools, require notification of parents, guardians, students, teachers and staff when pesticides are used, require licensed applicators to apply pesticides to school buildings and grounds and require records of pesticide use to be kept at each school; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the state board of education and the director of the legislative education study committee staff for appropriate distribution.