Notification will protect students and school staff

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http://web.tallahasseedemocrat.com/content/tallahassee/2001/07/21/opinion/07

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Saturday, July 21, 2001, updated at 3:26AM

Letters to the editor

Notification will protect students and school staff

The House GOP has vowed to kill the " parental notice " portion of the

education bill requiring school districts to inform parents of pesticides

used on school grounds. Why? Because pesticide manufacturers fear it would

" discourage pest control and substantially add to their paperwork, costs and

legal liability. " The truth is that they fear informed parents will halt the

practice.

Parental notification is already law in many school districts. It protects

the health of the 47.2 million children and 5.6 million school employees

(teachers and staff) in our nation's 91,000 schools by requiring schools to

improve their pest management practices and to notify parents three times a

year about the use of pesticides on school grounds. Pesticides commonly used

in schools have been linked to learning disabilities and behavior problems,

damage to the nervous system and cancer.

Parents shouldn't have to fight special interest groups for the right to

educate our children in a safe and healthy environment. But unless you tell

Washington to leave parental notification in the education bill, you'll be

the last one to know.

BARBARA HERSKOVITZ bherk@...