LAUSD PARENTS GAIN RIGHT TO KNOW OF TOXIC EXPOSURE Parents Must Request Written Notice of Pesticide Application

Los Angeles                       (Notification Form Available)
Safe Schools
Coalition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Contact:     Robina Suwol (818) 785-5515
March 18, 2002                Wendy Cohen (818) 576-9384

LAUSD PARENTS GAIN RIGHT TO KNOW OF TOXIC EXPOSURE
Parents Must Request Written Notice of Pesticide Application

LOS ANGELES -Every parent has gained a right to know of pesticide application to which their children may be exposed if they are enrolled in the Los Angeles Unified School District. At the beginning of the school year, parents are given a list of pesticide products that have been approved for use at LAUSD sites. Parents who wish advance notification of each pesticide application at their childs school will receive notification by completing the Right to Know" form and sending it to the school Principal. Notification exceptions may occur under emergency circumstances that warrant an immediate response.

This right is part of a new policy adopted by LAUSD introduced by the Los Angeles Safe Schools Coalition. Called Integrated Pest Management (IPM) the policy pledges to implement least-toxic measures to control all pest management issues at LAUSDs hundreds of schools. The policy has become a model for school districts and communities nationwide.

"Every parent knows that it is smart to keep children away from toxic chemicals." said Harvey Karp, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, UCLA School of Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics. Thats why I salute the Los Angeles Safe Schools Coalition. The coalition has helped the Los Angeles Unified School District to adopt the best solution in the country for getting rid of pests while protecting children."

Past failure to notify parents spurred the formation of LASSC and its campaign to get the school district to adopt the new policy. LASSC Executive Director Robina Suwols children walked through a toxic cloud at Sherman Oaks Elementary School one morning in 1998. The exposure resulted because an LAUSD gardener, in a white hazardous materials suit, arrived late to spray the herbicide Princep, which can cause serious health effects in human exposures, particularly in children, whose developing body systems may be more vulnerable than those of adults.

Co-founder and Director of LASSC, Wendy Cohen, also a parent, is confident information on the LASSC website will be up to date. "It is all too often extremely difficult to find accurate information within such a large organization as the Los Angeles Unified School District. With the help of our website, we hope to eliminate a lot of the bureaucracy and arm each parent with the knowledge he or she needs to ensure the safest environment for our children."

Los Angeles Safe Schools Coalition is a project of Community Partners. LASSC is committed to ensuring that all students, teachers, staff and community members who live near these school sites are in a safe, toxic-free environment. For more information, contact (818)785-5515/ robinasuwol@lassc.org
wendycohen@lassc.org, or log onto http://www.lassc.org.