Maintenance & Operations

Port Townsend School District Pesticide Notification and Posting Requirements

Port Townsend School District does not routinely apply pesticides on school grounds or in school facilities. We attempt to practice integrated pest management (IPM). However, pesticides may be used in cases where non-chemical remedies are ineffective. District staff or contracted professionally licensed pest control companies may be utilized in controlling pests. The district will comply with all legal requirements to notify staff and students before the application of pesticides.

In accordance with RCW 17.21.415 the Port Townsend School District must notify parents, guardians and staff describing the school’s pest control policies.

If you wish to be notified of pesticide applications, please submit your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address in writing to the Port Townsend School District Maintenance Office, 450 Fir Street, Port Townsend WA 98368. Please indicate if you would like e-mail or written notification. The School District is developing a roster of parents, guardians, and staff who would like to be pre-notified (48hrs) prior to pesticide applications.

There will be a copy of the School District’s annual pesticide use summary kept in the Maintenance Office. The summary should be available by the end of September for the previous school year’s pesticide use. Please contact the Maintenance Department if you would like a copy of the summary (360.379.4513). One can be e-mailed, or sent to you by US mail.

RCW 17.21.415 requires a school to:

1. Establish a notification system that, as a minimum, notifies interested parents or guardians of students and employees at least forty-eight hours before a pesticide application to a school facility.
2. The notification system shall include posting of the notification in a prominent place in the main office of the school.
3. All notifications to parents, guardians, and employees shall include the heading “Notice: Pesticide Application” and, at a minimum, shall state:
   1. The product name of the pesticide to be applied;
   2. The intended date and time of application;
   3. The location to which the pesticide is to be applied;
   4. The pest to be controlled; and
   5. The name and phone number of a contact person at the school.
4. A school facility application must be made within forty-eight hours following the intended date and time stated in the notification or the notification process shall repeated.
5. A school shall, at the time of application, post notifications signs for all pesticide applications made to school facilities unless the application is otherwise required to be posted by a certified applicator under the provisions of RCW 17.21.410 (1)(d).
   1. Notification signs for applications made to school grounds by school employees shall be placed at the location of the application and at each primary point of entry to the school grounds. The signs shall be a minimum of four inches by five inches and shall include the words: “THIS LANDSCAPE HAS BEEN RECENTLY SPRAYED OR TREATED WITH PESTICIDES BY YOUR SCHOOL” as the headline and “FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL” (all capital letters) as the footer. The footer shall provide the name and telephone number of a contact person at the school.
   2. Notification signs for applications made to school facilities other than school grounds shall be posted at the location of the application. The signs shall be a minimum of 8.5 x 11 inches in size and shall include the heading “Notice: Pesticide Application” and, at a minimum, shall state:
      1. The product name of the pesticide applied;
      2. The date and time of application;
      3. The location to which the pesticide was applied;
      4. The pest to be controlled; and
      5. The name and phone number of a contact person at the school.
   3. Notification signs shall be printed in colors contrasting to the background.
   4. Notification signs shall remain in place for at least twenty-four hours form the time the application is completed. In the event the pesticide label requires a restricted entry interval greater than twenty-four hours, the notification sign shall remain in place consistent with the restricted entry interval time as required by the label. Schools are not liable for posters that are removed by unauthorized persons.
6. A school facility application does not include the application of antimicrobial pesticides or the replacement of insect or rodent baits that are not accessible to children.
7. The pre-notification requirements of this section do not apply if the school facility application is made when the school is not occupied by students for at least two consecutive days after the application.
8. The pre-notification requirements of this section do not apply to any emergency school facility application for control of any pest that poses an immediate human health or safety threat, such as an application to control stinging insects. When an emergency school facility application is made, notification consistent with the school’s notification system shall occur as soon as possible after the application. The notification shall include information consistent with the normal pre-notification requirements.
9. A school shall make the records of all pesticides applications to school facilities required under this chapter, including an annual summary of the records, readily accessible to interested persons.
10. A school is not liable for the removal of signs by unauthorized persons. A school that complies with this section may not be held liable for personal property damage or bodily injury resulting from signs that are placed.

Schools may also add additional information to the posting signs if they choose to.

Thank you,

David Herrington
Manager of Facilities Services
360.379.4513
dherrington@ptsd50.org

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