6895P: Under Revision - Active Procedure 8300.1

USE OF HERBICIDES, INSECTICIDES, AND FUNGICIDES

PROCEDURE

1.0 Introduction

Pests are populations of living organism (animals, plants, or microorganism) that interfere with use of facilities for human purposes. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) establishes a sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological, cultural, physical and chemical tools in a way that minimizes economic, health and environmental risks.

The Bellevue School District has adopted an Integrated Pest Management Plan for its buildings and grounds. The plan outlines procedures to be followed to protect the health and safety of staff, students and visitors from pest and pesticide hazards. The plan is designed to voluntarily comply with policies and regulations promulgated by the Department of Agriculture for public buildings. This IPM plan will be stored in the office of the Bellevue School District Facilities Department.

2.0 Objectives of this IPM plan include:

• Elimination of significant threats caused by pests to the health and safety of students, staff and the public.

• Prevention of loss or damage to structures or property by pests.

• Protection of environmental quality inside and outside buildings.

3.0 IPM Coordinator

The Manager for Facilities, Maintenance and Information Technology shall designate an IPM Coordinator who will be responsible for implementing the IPM plan and coordinating pest management-related communications.

4.0 Definitions – RCW 17.21.020

4.1 “Apparatus” means any type of ground, water, or aerial equipment, device, or contrivance using motorized, mechanical, or pressurized power and used to apply any pesticide on land and anything that may be growing, habitating, or stored on or in such land, but shall not include any pressurized hand-sized household device used to apply any pesticide, or any equipment, device, or contrivance of which the person who is applying the pesticide is the source of power or energy in making such pesticide application.

4.2 “Certified Applicator” means any individual who is licensed as a commercial pesticide applicator, commercial pesticide operator, public operator, private commercial pesticide applicator, or any other individual who is certified by the director to use or supervise the use of any pesticide which is classified by the EPA or the director as a restricted use pesticide.

4.3 “Department” means the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

4.4 “Director” means the director of the Department of Agriculture or a duly authorized representative.

4.5 “Direct Supervision” means direct on-the-job supervision and shall require that the certified applicator be physically present at the application site and that the person making the application be in voice and visual contact with the certified applicator at all times during the application.

4.6 “Pesticide” includes but is not limited to:

4.6.1 Any substance or mixture of substances intended to prevent, destroy, control, repel or mitigate any pest;

4.6.2 Any substance or mixture of substances intended to be used as a plant regulator, defoliant or desiccant; and

4.6.3 Any spray adjuvant, such as a wetting agent, spreading agent, deposit builder, adhesive, emulsifying agent, deflocculating agent, water modifier, or similar agent with or without toxic properties of its own intended to be used with any pesticide as an aid to the application or affect thereof, and sold in a package or container separate from that of the pesticide with which it is to be used.

4.7 “Pest” means but is not limited to, any insect, rodent, nematode, snail, slug, weed, and any form of plant or animal life or virus, bacteria, or other microorganisms on or in a living person or other animals.

4.8 “Restricted use pesticide” means any pesticide or device which, when used as directed or in accordance with a widespread and commonly recognized practice, the director determines, subsequent to a hearing, required additional restrictions for that use to prevent unreasonable adverse effects on the environment including people, lands, beneficial insects, animals, crops, and wildlife, other than pests.

4.9 “School facility” means any facility used for licensed day-care center purposes or for the purposes of a public kindergarten or public elementary or secondary school. School facility includes the buildings or structures, playgrounds, landscape areas, athletic fields, or any other area of school property.

5.0 Notification – RCW 17.21.415

5.1 The law requires all public schools and licensed daycares to notify parents, guardians and school employees of pesticide use on school grounds and in school facilities. This is done through annual notification, pre-application notification, and posting of pesticide application.

5.2 The District shall be responsible to annually notify staff and parents of the procedures for requesting notification of planned and emergency applications of pesticides in facility buildings and on facility grounds.

5.3 When pesticide applications are scheduled in Bellevue School District buildings or on grounds, Bellevue School District or Service Providers and staff shall provide notification in accordance with law, including:

5.3.1 Annual Notification

5.3.1.1 A school shall provide written notification annually or upon enrollment to parents or guardians and employees describing the school’s pest control policies and methods.

5.3.1.2 Annual notifications shall include the following information: 

♦ posting and notification requirements;

♦ what pesticides may be applied on a regular basis (more than twice a year);

♦ where the District may apply pesticides (playfields, tracks, flowerbeds, kitchens, cafeteria, etc);

♦ if pesticides are applied by commercial applicators or by school employees or combination of both;

♦ specific details about the District’s system for advanced (fortyeight hour) notification of pesticide use. Details must include method of notification and how to sign up for registry or blanket notification; and

♦ where and how parents and staff may obtain information about pesticide use records as well as the annual summary of pesticide use.

5.3.2 Pre-Application Notification

5.3.2.1 A school shall establish a notification system that notifies interested parents or guardians and employees at least forty-eight hours before a pesticide application to a school facility. Such notification shall include posting of the notification in a prominent place in the main office.

5.3.2.2 Application must be made within forty-eight hours following the intended date and time stated in the notification or the notification process shall be repeated.

5.3.2.3 All notifications to parents, guardians, and employees shall include the heading “Notice: Pesticide Application” and shall state: 

♦ the product name of the pesticide to be applied;

♦ the intended date and time of application;

♦ the location to which the pesticide is to be applied;

♦ the pest to be controlled; and

♦ the name and telephone number of a contact person at the school.

6.0 Posting – RCW 17.21.415

6.1 Posting of pesticide application to the school grounds shall:

6.1.1 be placed at the location of the application and at each primary point of entry to the school grounds at the time of application;

6.1.2 be a minimum of four by five inches and include the words “THIS LANDSCAPE HAS BEEN RECENTLY SPRAYED OR TREATED WITH PESTICIDES BY BELLEVUE SCHOOL DISTRICT’’ as the headline and “FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL” as the footer and include a telephone number of a contact person at the school or a person who has knowledge of the pest control application; and

6.1.3 remain in place for at least twenty-four hours from the time of application.

6.2 Notification signs for applications made to school facilities other than school grounds shall be posted at the location of the application and shall:

6.2.1 be a minimum of eight and one-half by eleven inches;

6.2.2 include the heading “Notice: Pesticide Application” and, at a minimum, shall state the pesticide product name, application date and time, location, pest, contact person and telephone number; 

6.2.3 be printed in colors contrasting to the background; and

6.2.4 remain in place for at least twenty-four hours from the time of application

7.0 Exceptions To Pre-Application Notification – RCW 17.21.415

7.1 Antimicrobial Exception – An application of antimicrobial pesticide or the placements of insect or rodent baits that are not accessible to children are exempted from the pre-notification requirements.

7.2 Non-Occupied Exception – A school facility that remains unoccupied by students for at least two consecutive days after the application is exempted from the pre notifications.

7.3 Emergency Exception – The pre-notification requirements do not apply to any emergency school facility application for control of any pest that poses an immediate human health or safety threat, such as an application to control stinging insects. When an emergency pesticide application is made, notification consistent with the school’s notification system shall occur as soon as possible after the application. The notification shall include information consistent with the normal pre-notification requirements.

8.0 Contracted Applicators

8.1 Contracted commercial pest control applicators applying pesticides at school facilities shall receive prior authorization from the District and shall adhere to all notification and posting requirements by the same process as is used by the District.

8.2 Pest-specific strategies will be included in the IPM Program Specifications provided to each service provider.

8.3 Bellevue School District Service Provider responsibilities including cleaning, pest control and landscape maintenance will be guided by written and signed contracts including Bellevue School District developed IPM program specifications for structural pest control providers. 

8.4 Service providers will be directed to provide special attention to pest-vulnerable areas including food storage, preparation and serving areas; washrooms; custodial closets; mechanical rooms and entryways into the building.

9.0 Authorized Applicators – RCW 17.2102 and RCW 17.21021

9.1 School District employees shall possess a valid Washington State Pesticide License in the categories of pest control or be in the direct supervision of a certified applicator if they apply:

9.1.1 any pesticides using an “apparatus.”

9.1.2 any “restricted use pesticides.”

9.2 Contracted commercial pesticide applicators shall possess a valid Washington State Pesticide License in the categories of pest control.

10.0 Training

10.1 The Bellevue School District grounds staff will be provided with training on IPM policy and procedures. Training will include the rationale for the IPM policy and program and specific elements including use of the pest-sighting log and prohibition on pesticide applications by non-certified individuals.

10.2 Additionally, designated staff including the IPM Coordinator and those who conduct regular inspections of the Bellevue School District facilities will receive training on identifying pest infestations and pest-conducive conditions. This training will improve the ability of Bellevue School District staff to oversee Service Providers and Bellevue School District staff compliance with Bellevue School District IPM policy and plan.

10.3 School District employees that have a pesticide license will be required to have forty hours recertification credits over a five-year period of which a maximum of fifteen credits will be allowed per calendar year towards their license renewal.

11.0 Disposal – WAC 16-228-1220 Empty pesticide containers shall be triple rinsed and disposed of at a transfer station or in a School District dumpster.

12.0 Storage – WAC 16-228-1220

12.1 No pesticides shall be purchased or stored in individual containers greater than five U. S. gallons liquid measure or fifty pounds net dry weight.

12.2 Pesticides with the words “Caution” or “Warning” must be stored in a secured storage out of the reach of children in an acceptable enclosure.

12.3 Pesticides with the words “Danger/Poison” shall be stored in an acceptable locked enclosure posted with the skull and crossbones symbol and the words “Danger/Poison (or Pesticide or Chemical) Storage Area/Keep Out” in letters large enough to be legible from thirty feet, posted at the entrance, and signs visible from all sides.

13.0 Recordkeeping – RCW 17.21.100

13.1 Records will have the following information and be kept for seven years from the time of application:

13.1.2 location where pesticide was applied,

13.1.2 month, day and year of the application,

13.1.3 beginning and ending time of the application,

13.1.4 product used and registration number,

13.1.5 targeted pest to be controlled,

13.1.6 amount of pesticide used, 

13.1.7 concentration of pesticide that was applied,

13.1.8 acres or square feet to which pesticide was applied,

13.1.9 licensed applicator’s name, address, and telephone number and the name of the person or persons making the application if applicable, and

13.1.10 the direction and estimated wind velocity during the application.

14.0 Annual Summary – RCW 17.21.415

14.1 Records of pesticide applications will be accessible to all interested persons and contain the following information:

14.1.1 product names of all pesticides used during the previous calendar year,

14.1.2 active ingredient of all pesticides used during the previous calendar year,

14.1.3 quantities of each pesticide applied by active ingredient and by amount of tank mix applied, and

14.1.4 names of the schools where pesticides were applied.

15.0 General IPM Strategies

15.1 Pest management strategies may include education, exclusion, sanitation, maintenance, biological and mechanical controls, and pre-approved, site appropriate pesticides.

15.2 Decisions concerning whether or not pesticides should be applied in a given situation will be based on a review of all available options. Efforts will be made to avoid the use of pesticides by adequate pest proofing of facilities, good sanitation practices, selection of pest-resistant plant materials, and appropriate horticultural practices. When it is determined that a pesticide must be used in order to meet pest management objectives, the least-hazardous material, adequate for the job, will be chosen. Integrated Pest Management decisions at Bellevue School District shall consist of the following considerations and steps:

♦ Identify pest species.

♦ Estimate pest populations and compare to established action thresholds.

♦ Select the appropriate management tactics based on current on-site information.

♦ Assess effectiveness of pest management.

♦ Keep appropriate records.

15.3 All pesticide storage, transportation, and application will be conducted in accordance with the requirement of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 United States Code 136 et seq.), Environmental Protection Agency regulations in 40 CFR, Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, Bellevue School District policies and procedures, and local ordinances.

15.4 No person shall apply, store, or dispose of any pesticide on Bellevue School District managed property without an appropriate pesticide applicator license. All pesticide applicators will be trained in the principles and practices of IPM and the use of pesticides approved for use by Bellevue School District. All applicators must comply with the IPM policy and follow appropriate regulations and label precautions when using pesticides in or around Bellevue School District facilities.

16.0 Bellevue School District Staff Roles

16.1 Bellevue School District administration will provide support to assist the IPM Coordinator in maintaining an IPM program that relies on minimal pesticide use. Such support will include efforts to promptly address any structural, horticultural, or sanitation changes recommended by the coordinator to reduce or prevent pest problems.

16.2 Bellevue School District administration will assist the Coordinator in developing and delivering materials and programs for staff, students, and the public to educate them about the importance of good sanitation and pest control.

16.3 The Bellevue School District administration will form a committee that will meet twice a year to review district plans and procedure related to IPM. Committee membership will consist of four Bellevue School District parents, one from each of the four high school attendance areas, two district staff members, and two students. They will provide insight on the ongoing protocol related to use of herbicides, insecticides and fungicides in the district.

16.4 The facility manager is responsible for ensuring staff compliance with the IPM policy and plan, including the attached check list. Replaced Previous Procedure dated 1 January 1981