1090- Pesticide Application on School Property

It is the policy of the Newtown Board of Education to implement an integrated pest management plan to reduce the amounts of pesticides applied in any building, or the grounds of any Newtown Public School, by using all available pest control techniques including judicious use of pesticides, when warranted, to maintain a pest population at or below an acceptable level, while decreasing the use of pesticides. 

The decision to apply pesticide in any building, or the grounds of any Newtown Public School is dependent on results of periodic monitoring for pest populations to determine if a pest problem exists that exceeds acceptable threshold levels. 

No application of pesticide shall be made in any building, or the grounds of any Newtown Public School during regular school hours or during planned activities at any school, except as provided by Connecticut statute or regulation. 

Parents or guardians of children in any school and/or staff members in any school may register for prior notice of pesticide application at their school. Each school shall maintain a registry of persons requesting such notice, and shall provide notice to registered individuals in accordance with applicable Connecticut statutory and regulatory provisions. 

The Superintendent may direct that an emergency application of a lawn care pesticide be made without prior notice to parents or guardians of children in any school and/or staff members in the event of a threat to human health, subject to applicable Connecticut statutory and regulatory provisions. 

The Superintendent may direct that an emergency application of a pesticide be made during regular school hours or during planned activities at school without prior notice to parents or guardians of children and/or staff members in any school in the event of an immediate threat to human health, subject to applicable Connecticut statutory and regulatory provisions. 

There shall be no application of any lawn care pesticide on the grounds of any school with students in grade eight (8) or lower, except on an emergency basis, subject to applicable Connecticut statutory and regulatory provisions. 

Legal References: 

Connecticut General Statutes: 

§10-231a 

§10-231b 

§10-231d 

ADOPTED: November 5, 2025 Newtown Public Schools Newtown, CT

A. Definitions: 

1. Pesticide: means a fungicide used on plants, an insecticide, a herbicide or a rodenticide, but does not mean a sanitizer, disinfectant, antimicrobial agent or a pesticide bait. 

2. Lawn Care Pesticide: means a pesticide registered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and labeled pursuant to the federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act for use in lawn, garden and ornamental sites or areas. “Lawn care pesticide” does not include (A) a microbial pesticide or biochemical pesticide that is registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, (B) a horticultural soap or oil that is registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and does not contain any synthetic pesticide or synergist, or (C) a pesticide classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as an exempt material pursuant to 40 C.F.R. § 152.25, as amended from time to time. 

3. Integrated Pest Management: means use of all available pest control techniques including judicious use of pesticides, when warranted, to maintain a pest population at or below an acceptable level, while decreasing the use of pesticides. 

4. Restricted Use Pesticide: means any pesticide or pesticide use classified as restricted by the administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency or by the Connecticut Commissioner of Environmental Protection. 

5. Microbial Pesticide: means a pesticide that consists of a microorganism as the active ingredient. 

6. Biochemical Pesticide: means a naturally occurring substance that controls pests by nontoxic mechanisms.

B. Integrated Pest Management Plan: 

1. The district’s integrated pest management plan shall be consistent with the model pest control management plan developed by the Connecticut Commissioner of Environmental Protection pursuant to Section 22a-66l of the Connecticut General Statutes.

2. At the beginning of each school year, the district shall provide the staff of each school with written guidelines on how the integrated pest management plan is to be implemented and shall provide the parents or guardians of each child enrolled in each school with a statement that shall include a summary of the integrated pest management plan for the school. Such statement shall be provided to the parents or guardian of any child who transfers to a school during the school year. Such statement shall (1) indicate that the staff, parents or guardians may register for notice of pesticide applications at the school, and (2) describe the emergency notification procedures provided for in this section. Notice of any modification to the integrated pest management plan shall be sent to any person who registers for notice under this section. 

C. Notice of Pesticide Application to Those Who Request Such Notice: 

1. Parents or guardians of children in any school and/or staff members in any school may register for prior notice of pesticide application at their school. 

2. Each school shall maintain a registry of persons requesting such notice. 

3. Parents or guardians of children in any school and/or staff members in any school who register for prior notice of pesticide application at their school shall be provided notice, by any means practicable, of each scheduled pesticide application at their school on or before the day that any application of pesticide is to take place. 

4. The notice shall include the following information: 

a. The name of the active ingredient of the pesticide being applied; 

b. The target pest; 

c. The location of the application on school property; 

d. The date of the application; and 

e. The name of the school administrator, or designee, who may be contacted for further information. 

D. Notice of Pesticide Application by Electronic Means: 

1. Prior to providing for any application of pesticide within any building or on the grounds of any school, in addition to the notice requirements in Section C, above, the district shall provide for notice of such application not less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to such application by posting the notice required in Section C, above, either on or through: (a) The home page of the Internet web site for the school where such application will occur, or, if the school does not have a web site, on the home page of the district’s Internet web site, and (b) the primary social media account of such school or the district. For purposes of these administrative regulations and Section 10-231d of the Connecticut General Statutes, “social media” means an electronic medium where users may create and view user-generated content, such as uploaded or downloaded videos or still photographs, blogs, video blogs, podcasts or instant messages.

2. The district shall indicate on its home page how parents may register for prior notice of pesticide applications, as described in Section C, above. 

3. Not later than March 15 of each year, each school or the district shall send through its e-mail notification or alert system or service the notice required by Section C, above, for applications made since January 1 of that year and a listing of such notices for applications made during the March 15 through December 31 timeframe from the preceding calendar year. 

4. The district shall additionally print such e-mail notification required by this section in the applicable parent handbook or manual, although the reprinting of such handbook or manual shall not be required to provide such notification. 

5. Nothing in these administrative regulations shall require the development or use of an Internet web site, social media account or e-mail notification or alert system by a school or the district that is not already in use or existence prior to October 1, 2015. 

E. Emergency Pesticide Application: 

1. In the event of a threat to human health, the Superintendent may direct that an emergency application of a lawn care pesticide be made without prior notice to parents or guardians of children in any school and/or staff members. 

2. In the event of an immediate threat to human health, the Superintendent may direct that an emergency application of a pesticide be made, during regular school hours or during planned activities at school, without prior notice to parents or guardians of children in any school and/or staff members. Such application may only be made if (a) it is necessary to make the application during such period, and (b) such emergency application does not involve a restricted use pesticide. 

3. In the event of such emergency application, no child may enter the area of such application until it is safe to do so according to the provisions on the pesticide label. 

4. In the event of such emergency application, the provision set forth below in Section G regarding authorized pesticide applicators shall not apply if the Superintendent determines that it is impractical to obtain the services of any such applicator, provided that the application does not involve a restricted use pesticide. 

F. Record of Pesticide Application: 

1. A copy of the record of each pesticide application at a school shall be maintained at the school for a period of five (5) years, which record shall include the information required by Section 22a-66a of the Connecticut General Statutes, as it may be amended from time to time. 

G. Authorized Pesticide Applicator: 

1. No person, other than a pesticide applicator with supervisory certification under Section 22a-54 of the Connecticut General Statutes or a pesticide applicator with operational certification under Section 22a-54 under the direct supervision of a supervisory pesticide applicator, may apply pesticide within any building or on the grounds of any school within the district. [Other than a regional vocational agriculture center]. 

H. Prohibition on Use of Lawn Care Pesticides at District Schools with Students through Grade 8: 

There shall be no application of any lawn care pesticide on the grounds of any school with students in grade eight (8) or lower, except on an emergency basis, subject to applicable Connecticut statutory and regulatory provisions and the conditions set forth above. 

Legal References: 

Connecticut General Statutes: 

§ 10-231a 

§ 10-231b 

§ 10-231d 

§ 22a-47 

§ 22a-54 

§ 22a-66a 

§ 22a-66l 

United States Code: 

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, 7 U.S.C. § 136 et seq. 

Code of Federal Regulations: 

40 C.F.R. § 152.25 

ADOPTED: November 5, 2025 Newtown Public Schools Newtown, CT