Legislation (The Act Protecting Children and Families from Harmful Pesticides — Chapter 85 of the Acts of 2000) that amends the Massachusetts Pesticide Control Act (Chapter 132B of the M.G.L.) took effect on November 1, 2000. This regulation is commonly known as the Children and Families Protection Act.
This legislation primarily addresses the use of pesticides in schools, day care centers, and school-age childcare programs. Other sections of the legislation include but are not limited to: notification and posting requirements, pesticide use along rights-of- way, applicator competency evaluation, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plans. Ultimately, the intent of the legislation is to encourage the use of IPM and to minimize pesticide exposure, especially to children and facility employees.
Who is responsible? Those persons who perform, contract, and/or administratively oversee pest management services for schools, day care centers, and school-age child care programs play significant roles in ensuring compliance regulation. Additional parties involved may include utility companies and state agencies.
The MDAR Pesticide Program is responsible for the implementation of this legislation. Detailed information about how to comply with the Children and Families Protection Act can be obtained from the MDAR Pesticide Program. For turf managers that must develop an IPM plan under the requirements of the Children and Families Protection Act, UMass Extension has published Integrated Pest Management Protocols for Turf on School Properties and Sports Fields. This manual is a tool that specifies the steps required for development and implementation of a comprehensive IPM plan. For additional information see the Printed Publications page of this web site.
