Keep pesticides out of schools

On June 4, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors will hear the Safer Chemicals Committee report recommending new policy for pesticides and green cleaning in Albemarle County, including schools.
Published: May 29, 2008

On June 4, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors will hear the Safer Chemicals Committee report recommending new policy for pesticides and green cleaning in Albemarle County, including schools.

Almost one in three students today in Albemarle County public schools reports having a health problem, such as asthma or a learning disability. Health problems among children are up dramatically over the last 20 years and no one knows why.

Like drug-free zones and smoke-free zones, pesticide-free zones are necessary. Pesticides are poisons, linked to asthma, learning disabilities and cancers, such as leukemia and breast cancer. In the last eight months alone, the school system stopped more than 200 unnecessary pesticide applications inside the school buildings. No pest infestations have since occurred.

While excellent progress has been made to reduce pesticides, the Safer Chemicals Committee still considers some risk from pesticides at schools acceptable. But risk in any amount is not acceptable when so many children have health issues and when the risk is unnecessary. Pesticides in schools are unnecessary. Just a little poison near developing kids is no longer OK. Pesticide-free zones not only can be done but are being done successfully. We are confident the Albemarle County school system can also learn how.

The Safer Chemicals Com-mittee is an internal committee only — parents, teachers, students and community groups did not participate in policy making. The group Friends and Advocates for Children, Teach-ers and Schools and the Piedmont Group of the Sierra Club feel strongly that it’s not up to Albemarle County only to decide what risk is tolerable for parents, students and teachers. But those groups, most affected by whether or not pesticides are used, have a chance to be heard at 11:30 a.m. June 4. Although there may be conflicts with work and school, country residents are urged to make every effort to come speak or stand in silent support of pesticide-free zones for children and teachers.

Whatever your view, even if different from ours, be sure you take the chance to express it or the decision will be made for you. Come to the meeting or e-mail the Board of Supervisors at , the Albe-marle County School Board at schoolboard@k12albemarle .org and Diane Behrens, executive director of support services, at .