For Those Who Are Highly Sensitive To Pesticides

Pennsylvania Act 35 and Act 36 are laws which require every school in Pennsylvania to create and implement an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plan. Every IPM Plan has the following components:

• A notice to all families of students and employees that they may request to be notified when the District is going to spray pesticides in schools or on school grounds.
• A process for notifying all who request such information at least three days prior to a scheduled application of pesticides.
• Signs posted at the site of the scheduled application of pesticides three days prior to the application and two days following.

The NASD has implemented its IPM Plan. If a student in your family is highly sensitive to pesticides and/or herbicides and you would like to be notified by the District before an application inside or outside of school facilities, please request and complete a notification form. Forms are available in the school offices and online. This will allow the District to implement its IPM Plan effectively.

Under the provisions of the IPM Plan, the District will notify students, staff, and the community of impending pesticide treatment by posting signs in the area to be sprayed, by posting a notice on the NASD website and by posting signs on the buildings of the school(s) closest to the site of the application. These notifications will be posted three days prior to the application of pesticides and will remain for two days following.

In instances where emergency application is necessary, we will attempt to contact all individuals who have requested notification by phone or email as soon as possible prior to the application. This would generally be the case when nests of bees, hornets, or wasps are identified in areas where children are regularly present.

Parents, students, staff, and residents also have the option of enrolling with the PA Pesticide Hypersensitivity Registry. This state database is maintained by the Department of Agriculture. On a quarterly basis, the Department provides the names of any residents registered with its program to the public school or district closest to their homes for the purpose of updating the District’s database for notification. To do so, call 717-787-4843 for information.

Please be aware that the provisions of Act 35 and Act 36 do not require this notification to apply to the application of disinfectant and antimicrobial products; self-containerized baits in areas that are not accessible to students; gel-type baits placed in cracks, crevices, or voids; or swimming pool maintenance chemicals. In addition, the District ensures that all pesticides, herbicides, cleaning materials, etc., utilized by our Facilities Department are approved for use in school facilities and on school grounds. At NASD, it is our priority to maintain a safe and caring environment for all of our students and staff. It is also our intent to apply pesticides only as a last resort in and around our facilities.