Tag Archives: Healthy Schools Act

California Parents, Guardians, and Teachers: Opt-In for School Pesticide Notifications

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Aug. 18, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — California Safe Schools, a nonprofit dedicated to children’s environmental health and safety, reminds parents, guardians, teachers and school staff at all California K-12 public schools and child care centers to file the Right to Know Pesticide Use Notification form at the start of the school year. This form is mandated under California legislation, The Healthy Schools Act.

Image caption: California Safe Schools.

Filing this form with your school office ensures you receive advance notification of any pesticide applications in or around the school site. It is a critical safeguard and part of each school’s commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment.

Under The Healthy Schools Act, a “schoolsite” is defined as:

Any facility used for public day care, kindergarten, elementary, or secondary school purposes. The term includes the buildings or structures, playgrounds, athletic fields, school vehicles, or any other area of school property visited or used by pupils. “Schoolsite” does not include postsecondary educational facilities attended by secondary pupils or private day care or school facilities.

The Right to Know Notification requires schools to provide at least 72 hours’ advance notice before any pesticide application on a campus.

Emergency Applications: In rare cases when pesticides must be used immediately to address a health or safety emergency, schools may apply them without the standard 72-hour advance notice. However, The Healthy Schools Act requires that the school district designee make every effort to provide the required notification even under emergency conditions.

Filing the Right to Know Pesticide Use Notification with your school’s Main Office ensures you will receive alerts before applications occur. This allows parents, guardians or teachers to make informed decisions on application days. Importantly, notification can be requested for any reason, not solely for known health concerns.

HISTORY

The Right to Know Pesticide Use Notification program began with the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) groundbreaking Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Policy in 1999. This policy embraces the Precautionary Principle – the idea that if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing harm to the public or environment, precautionary measures should be taken even without conclusive scientific evidence. As part of this approach, LAUSD has not used Roundup for more than 20 years, setting an important precedent in protecting children’s health. The success of the LAUSD IPM policy led directly to the passage of The California Healthy Schools Act of 2000.

The “Right to Know” notifications are a critical tool that ensures parents, guardians, teachers and staff remain informed, connected, and empowered within their school community. For more information about pesticide application policies at your school, visit your school’s website or contact the school or school district directly” said Robina Suwol, founder and executive director of California Safe Schools.

Learn More:

California Healthy Schools Act: Every Child Deserves a Healthy Schoolsite (PDF: https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/hsa_factsheet.pdf

California Healthy Schools Act (full text) (PDF): http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/99-00/bill/asm/ab_2251-2300/ab_2260_bill_20000927_chaptered.pdf

Los Angeles Unified IPM Policy (PDF): https://www.lausd.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=76990&dataid=127605&FileName=IPM_Policy.pdf

California Safe Schools – https://www.calisafe.org/

California Department of Pesticide Regulation – https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/

About California Safe Schools:

California Safe Schools (CSS) is dedicated to protecting the health and safety of students, teachers, and school staff through education, advocacy, and policy initiatives that promote safe learning environments across California. CSS spearheaded the effort to create the Los Angeles Unified School District’s celebrated Integrated Pest Management Policy in 1999 that led to California Legislation: The Healthy Schools Act. https://www.calisafe.org/.

MEDIA ONLY CONTACT:
Robina Suwol
Executive Director, California Safe Schools
Phone: 818-785-5515
Email: calisafe@earthlink.net

LOGO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/24-0419-s2p-calsafe-300dpi.jpg

NEWS SOURCE: California Safe Schools

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (California Safe Schools), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/california-parents-guardians-and-teachers-opt-in-for-school-pesticide-notifications/

Championing Environmental Change: California Safe Schools Fosters Collaboration and Innovation

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- California Safe Schools (CSS) celebrates their 26th annual pioneering "Your Life Is Now" Forum which brings together students, members of the public, local, state and federal government. "The importance of bringing together community leaders with regulatory and enforcement agencies and government officials has shown over time to have enormous value in solving environmental issues in communities," said Robina Suwol, California Safe Schools Executive Director.

"We are excited about California Safe Schools 26th Anniversary October celebration that continues this networking forum and its mentoring of youth who aspire to become the new generation of leaders."

26 years ago, California Safe Schools (CSS) was founded by Robina Suwol with a mission to protect children on school sites from ever being exposed to pesticides. To ensure this vision, CSS spearheaded the Los Angeles Unified School District Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Policy, the most stringent pesticide policy in the nation for K-12 public schools and the first to embrace the "Precautionary Principle" and "Right to Know." Today, Los Angeles Unified School District's IPM policy serves as a national and international model for school districts and communities.

The policy's success also led to California's Healthy Schools Act in 2000 and AB 405 (Montanez), sponsored by California Safe Schools. It is a critical bill that bans experimental pesticides, whose health effects are unknown, from California K-12 public schools. As a result, more than 6 million California school children and hundreds of thousands of teachers and school employees are protected from experimental chemicals.

"California Safe Schools is a brave voice fighting for health and safety for our children and against toxic chemicals, harmful pesticides, and polluted air in and around our schools. From the front lines in communities to the halls of Sacramento, Robina is a tireless voice for our children. Congratulations on twenty-six years of leadership in the fight to make the world a better place!" said Angela Johnson Meszaros, Senior Attorney, Community Partnerships Program - Earthjustice.

CSS is committed to its mission of protecting children from toxic environmental exposures because they are the most vulnerable to lifelong health impacts as their bodies and minds are still growing.

CSS continues to be a leader for children's environmental health through numerous projects at both the grassroots and policy level, prioritizing environmental justice areas overburdened by pollutants.

Current CSS programs include creating awareness to reduce and eliminate:diesel idling emissions; lead; household hazardous waste; perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) ubiquitous in food packaging, clothing carpets, cookware and paints; and establish the use of beneficial pests such as ladybugs instead of pesticides in school garden programs.

For additional information or to contribute to CSS, please visit their website at https://calisafe.org/ or click to donate: https://give.communityin.org/cabelowliforniasafeschools?ref=ab_eDKZDe

MEDIA CONTACT:
Robina Suwol
Executive Director
California Safe Schools
818.785.5515
calisafe@earthlink.net

California Safe Schools (CSS) celebrates their 26th annual pioneering "Your Life Is Now" Forum which brings together students, members of the public, local, state and federal government. 26 years ago, California Safe Schools (CSS) was founded by Robina Suwol with a mission to protect children on school sites from ever being exposed to pesticides.

Related link: https://www.calisafe.org/

LA Unified Appears Poised to Weaken Public Oversight, Again – This Time on a Crucial Public Health Issue

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- On Tuesday, November 15, 2022 a majority of the Los Angeles Unified School Board voted to begin a process some fear would dismantle an oversight Committee that has been in place for decades ensuring the globally celebrated environmental policy was implemented according to the district's policy and California's Healthy Schools Act. In its place the Board is recommending establishing an Ad Hoc Committee, says celebrated children's environmental health non-profit California Safe Schools.

Concerned members of the public that included members of the Oversight Committee who signed up in advance to speak, were repeatedly disconnected, not called upon, or were unable to connect on the district's dedicated phone line.

In spite of the district acknowledging technical problems, they proceeded ahead. As a result a notice of Brown Act Violation was filed, with a request to have the Board add the item to the next Board Meeting to ensure the public had an opportunity to express their deep concerns about the misguided process.

The Los Angeles Unified Integrated Pest Management Policy (IPM) was unanimously adopted by the School Board in March of 1999 following a year-long drafting of a more protective policy. This effort was prompted after elementary school students were sprayed with pesticides by a school gardener in a hazardous materials suit as they walked into their classrooms.

"My six-year-old son had a reaction to the toxic cloud, which resulted in a severe asthma attack. Fortunately, he recovered and the Board immediately authorized district staff, members of the public, parents, medical experts, scientists, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and environmentalists to work together to craft a more protective policy. The result was the creation of the most stringent pesticide policy for schools in the nation. It was the first policy to embrace the Precautionary Principle and the Right to Know with regard to the application of pesticides in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)", said Robina Suwol, Executive Director of California Safe Schools.

To ensure implementation, an IPM Oversight Committee was formed comprised of 15 independent members which included the following: one LAUSD non-management representative from Maintenance and Operations, one District representative from the Environmental Health and Safety Branch, one District representative from Food Services, the District IPM Coordinator, one IPM expert, two parents of District-enrolled students, two community members, one public health representative, two environmental representatives, one District teacher, one District principal, and one medical practitioner.

The success of the policy led to California legislation, The Healthy Schools Act, and later AB 405 (Montanez) which prohibits the use of experimental, conditional or phased out pesticides at all California K-12 schools. Today, the policy has become a national and international model for school districts and communities.

But recent actions by the LA Unified Maintenance and Operations Management, coupled with misrepresentation from them to the LA Unified Board, may undermine the ability of the IPM Committee to oversee the IPM Policy. This includes canceling publicly noticed meetings and limiting the independence, diversity and impartiality of the appointed Committee members. We are opposed to these efforts as they weaken the very oversight mechanisms that have enabled the meaningful implementation of the IPM Policy.

The recent audit of the IPM Program, completed June 29, 2022, includes troubling recommendations that would eliminate the ability of the public representatives on the Committee to self-appoint members most representative of their group and replace those members with individuals hand-picked by Maintenance and Operations or others. Such a change is in direct conflict with the IPM Policy.

Additionally, the audit's recommendation of term limits without the ability of public groups to select their representatives would eliminate members with vast experience in upholding the IPM Policy and knowledge of institutional history essential to understanding the successes and challenges of years past.

Further troubling was the abrupt decision to cancel the publicly-noticed meetings beginning July 8, 2022, and "all further meetings until further notice", without sufficient notice or explanation. Meetings for the IPM Committee are required by the IPM Policy to be held monthly. In the past 24 years, only one meeting has been cancelled because of weather conditions. Due to the recent pandemic, the meetings have been held online on the second Friday of each month.

There are other serious issues the IPM Committee is currently addressing, including:

1 - District use of an unauthorized and unapproved agricultural pesticide product on school campuses.

2 - The June audit revealing widespread violation by the District of its own IPM Policy and the Healthy Schools Act.

3 - Increased pest activity due to failure to address issues in a timely fashion.

4 - Reports related to the lack of needed supplies to properly address pest issues.

Executive Director of California Safe Schools Robina Suwol added, "The IPM Committee meetings must continue as publicly noticed in order to properly address the issues and ensure compliance with the IPM Policy, which over the years has set the gold standard in keeping our children, teachers and all school stakeholders safe from pesticide exposure."

Over the years, the LAUSD went from using 160 products to fewer than 25 - many of which have never been used. Additionally, Round Up and any other herbicides have also not been used on any Los Angeles Unified school grounds for more than 20 years. This has resulted in Los Angeles Unified avoiding the lawsuits that other districts experienced and has protected the health and safety of countless students, faculty, staff and parents.

"The IPM Committee must be permitted to continue its work to oversee and implement the IPM Policy without further interference or efforts to weaken the inherent internal mechanisms that protect the independence, diversity and impartiality of the IPM Committee and its important oversight role, said Sandra Schubert, Esq., Advisory Board Member California Safe Schools.

Note: This information was prepared by Robina Suwol, Executive Director California Safe Schools and Sandra Schubert, Esq. Advisory Board Member California Safe Schools. They helped spearhead the drafting of Los Angeles Unified School District's IPM policy and have served as members of the IPM Committee.

About California Safe Schools:

California Safe Schools (CSS) is children's environmental health and environmental justice non-profit committed to ensuring that all students, teachers, staff, and community members who live near school sites are in a safe, toxic-free environment. CSS works closely with diverse communities and regulatory agencies on toxic issues (air, water, soil). CSS achieved national prominence by spearheading the Los Angeles Unified School District's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Policy, the most stringent pesticide policy in the nation for K-12 public schools. This was the first school district to embrace the "Precautionary Principle" and "Right to Know" in a policy and led to the passage of California's Healthy Schools Act. Today, the LA Unified IPM policy serves as a national and international model for school districts and communities.

Learn more at: http://calisafe.org/

On Tuesday, November 15, 2022 a majority of the Los Angeles Unified School Board voted to begin a process some fear would dismantle an oversight Committee that has been in place for decades ensuring the globally celebrated environmental policy was implemented according to the district's policy and California's Healthy Schools Act. In its place the Board is recommending establishing an Ad Hoc Committee, says celebrated children's environmental health non-profit California Safe Schools.

Related link: http://www.calisafe.org/

California Safe Schools Celebrates 22nd Anniversary and Earth Day

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- March 30th, 2020 marked the 22nd anniversary of California Safe Schools (CSS) a celebrated children's environmental health and justice coalition founded by Robina Suwol in 1998 after grade school students, including Robina's two sons, were sprayed with the herbicide Princep, as they headed to class.

A school gardener in a hazardous materials suit, employed by LA Unified School District, unaware students were present, sprayed the herbicide creating a cloud of pesticide mist students were forced to walk through to reach their classrooms. Several parents who had dropped off their children at the school were alarmed to witness this event. Robina's youngest son, Nicholas, whose asthma had been under control, experienced a severe asthma attack after the incident.

Robina and CSS sprung into action, contacting the school district, experts in the area, teachers and other parents - leading the effort to ensure incidents like this would not happen again. And, one year to the date Nicholas became ill, CSS and LAUSD enacted the most stringent pesticide policy in the nation for schools. The policy was the first in the United States to embrace the Precautionary Principle and Parents Right to Know regarding pesticides in schools.

The success of the policy led to California legislation, The Healthy Schools Act 2000, and AB 405 spearheaded by Suwol and CSS, which prevents experimental pesticides whose health effects are unknown from being used in all K-12 California schools. As a result, 6 million students, hundreds of thousands of teachers and school employees are protected. For 22 years LA Unified has not used Roundup, or any herbicides, on the grounds of any schools in a district spanning 28 cities, 703 square miles and 1000 sites.

"While celebrating together has been temporarily postponed, honoring our 2020 heroes cannot be delayed. We thank each of them for their enormous and selfless contributions. They make our world a much safer and better place," said Robina Suwol, California Safe Schools, executive director.

Honorees:

HUMANITARIAN AWARD

Monsignor John Moretta

John Moretta was born in Los Angeles on July 12, 1941. He entered St. John's Seminary, Camarillo, in 1960. After completing Philosophy and Theology studies, he was ordained on April 27, 1968. He has served in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as a parish priest in five parishes. He is at presently the pastor of Resurrection Church in Boyle Heights. This May he will have served there for thirty-five years. Throughout his ministry he has worked with the Latino community and has been on several advisory boards of the Archdiocese. He was invested as a Domestic Prelate to His Holiness with the title of Monsignor on February 2, 1992.

He has been an advocate for the empowerment of people. Whether it is in educating people to speak English, preparing for citizenship, organizing the Mothers of East Los Angeles, establishing a first-time homeowners center, the Boyle Heights Resident Homeowners Association, Neighborhood Watch Groups, sitting on advisory boards of high schools, member of the Guadalupe Procession Committee, Dean of Deanery 9, serves on the Priests Council and Personnel Board for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and also for the Police Department.

Most recently he helped fight the battle to close down Exide Technologies after many years of releasing lead into the environment. Monsignor Moretta has a great love for the people he serves and is always looking for ways to improve the community.

HEALTH HERO

Evelyn Cortez-Davis, P.E., BCEE

Evelyn Cortez-Davis is the Assistant Director of Water Operations t the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the largest municipal utility in the nation. She has over 25 years of engineering experience in water quality, water conservation, pipeline design and construction, environmental compliance, recycled water, water rights, groundwater remediation, and groundwater planning. She currently leads the team that safely treats, stores and conveys water for the 4 million people in the City of Los Angeles.

In previous roles, she oversaw projects to clean up contaminated groundwater throughout the City, to capture more stormwater, increase conservation, and expand the use of recycled water and groundwater. She represented the City of Los Angeles on the Colorado River Board of California and the Board of Directors of the National Water Research Institute.

She is a graduate of UCLA, a registered Civil Engineer in the state of California, and is a Board Certified Environmental Engineer. Ms. Cortez-Davis is also the author of the book December Sky- Beyond My Undocumented Life relating her family's story as first -generation immigrants from El Salvador and their path to U.S. citizenship

LEADERSHIP AWARD

Christian Arana

Christian strongly believes in the promise of America, and that begins first with California's estimated 15 million Latinos. As the Policy Director at Latino Community Foundation, Christian leads the foundation's efforts to advance policy solutions that will improve the lives and political power of California's Latinos.

Christian served as the Senior Governance Specialist at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) in Washington, D.C. During his tenure, he worked with the nation's top political, corporate, and nonprofit leaders to develop the next generation of Latino leaders in policy. He also managed CHCI's transition towards the use of impact metrics and led two successful strategic planning sessions with CHCI's leadership. Prior to CHCI, Christian worked at the Aspen Institute for the College Excellence Program. He helped administer the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Competition honoring the top performing community colleges in the nation. Dedicated to the advancement of Latino communities, Christian began his career as an AmeriCorps member where he served as a college counselor at Cristo Rey New York High School in East Harlem, New York.

Christian received a Master's Degree in Public Policy from UC Berkeley and holds a Bachelor's Degree from Georgetown University in International Politics. In his free time, Christian enjoys cooking, watching Dodgers baseball, and traveling.

IMPACT AWARD

Stellaluna Lopez-Ramirez is a sophomore at Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez High School in Boyle Heights. She is an honor roll student, a sophomore class representative, and a leader in academic performance. She is also a member of the junior varsity girls basketball team, and led the league with sixteen points per game this season. When not at school, she works with Youth Orchestra Los Angeles playing violin and mentoring elementary and middle school students in music and leadership, or runs free tutoring sessions with her peers. Additionally, through Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, she has performed at major venues such as Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Hollywood Bowl. After high school, she plans to double major in a STEM field and a humanity.

HEALTH & SAFETY CHAMPION AWARD

Los Angeles Unified School District

Honoring the management and staff of the Los Angeles Unified School District for 22 years of embracing the Precautionary Principle and Right to Know while successfully implementing the most stringent pesticide policy in the nation for schools , including their phenomenal efforts to serve more than 10 million meals to students, and quickly employing virtual academic programs during this challenging pandemic.

Learn more about California Safe Schools at: http://www.calisafe.org/

SPONSORS:

Sponsors for the CSS Anniversary: South Coast Air Quality Management District, Metropolitan Water District, California Air Resources Board, California Department of Pesticide Regulation, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, Earthjustice, Republic Services, Natural Resource Defense Counsel, Galpin Ford, & Libertyhill.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Robina Suwol
California Safe Schools
calisafe@earthlink.net
818-785-5515

March 30, 2020 marked the 22nd anniversary of California Safe Schools (CSS) a celebrated children's environmental health and justice coalition founded by Robina Suwol in 1998 after grade school students, including Robina's two sons, were sprayed with the herbicide Princep, as they headed to class.

Related link: http://www.calisafe.org/