The Department of Education shall make information available to school boards on integrated pest management programs that appropriately address the application of chemical pesticides and other pest control measures on school property. For purposes of this section, "integrated pest management" shall mean a managed pest control and suppression program that uses various integrated methods to keep pests from causing economic, health-related, or aesthetic injury and minimizes the use of pesticides and the risk to human health and the environment associated with pesticide applications. Methods may include the utilization of site or pest inspections, pest population monitoring, evaluation of control requirements, and the use of one or more pest control methods including sanitation, structural repair, nonchemical methods, and pesticides when nontoxic options produce unsatisfactory results or are impractical. Each local school division shall maintain documentation of any pesticide application that includes the target pest, the formulation applied, and the specific location of the application. The guidelines and programs adopted pursuant to this section shall permit the immediate application of pesticides or other effective control measures to eradicate pest infestations that pose an acute danger to students and staff.
2009, c. 440; 2010, c. 40.