Thursday, 4:30 PM
Auditor DeNucci: More progress needed on protecting children from pesticides
By Globe Staff
Progress has been made, but more still needs to be done to implement a law that is intended to protect children in schools and day care centers from exposure to pesticides, state Auditor Joseph DeNucci said today.
DeNucci reported that an audit found that 24 percent of the state's public and private schools and 59 percent of its day care centers are still not in compliance with a 2000 law that requires them to submit a plan detailing their uses of pesticides.
The good news? In a previous audit, DeNucci's office found that more than 71 percent of schools and 90 percent of day care centers hadn't complied with the legislation.
The law requires schools and day care centers to submit plans detailing their pest problems, the pesticides they plan to use, and who will apply the pesticides. The plans must be filed, even if a facility has no pest problems and plans no pesticide use.
The law also requires that parents and employees be notified at least two days before any pesticide application.
The Department of Agricultural Resources' Pesticide Bureau, the Department of Education's Early Education Commission, and the attorney general's office, are working on a plan to improve the compliance by day care centers, DeNucci's office said.
