Schools
Children's and Families Protection Act
The Children and Families Protection Act’s (333 CMR 14.00) purpose is to regulate the use of pesticides within schools, daycares or school age child care program facilities. Certain facilities are required to create and implement Integrated Pest Management Plans. The goal of these plans is to reduce the risks of pesticide applications at schools and daycares.
The CFPA requires schools and daycares must include mosquito control in their IPM Plans if pesticide spraying for mosquitoes is likely. (For the full text of the act and additional information follow the link to the state's web page below.)
- The school/daycares must have an outside IPM plan on file with the Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR).
- The school/daycares IPM plan must identify mosquitoes as a pest and list the following pesticides:
- Duet with Prallethrin, Sumethrin and Piperonyl as the active ingredients, EPA reg. number 1021-1795-8329
- Zenivex E4 RTU with Etofenprox as the active ingredient, EPA reg. number 2724-807
- Suspend SC with Deltamethrin as the active ingredient, EPA reg. number 432-763
If the above conditions are in place, the school/daycare can request to be sprayed by using the Request for Spraying Form. The form must be completed and sent to to the Project by email or fax at (781)-582-1276. Please be certain to include a return fax number.
After receiving your request, the Project will respond by sending you a completed Standard Written Notification Form, which is our answer to your request and becomes the first of three documents that you will use to complete your required notification to students and parents.
Notification Documents
The following documents are required to be part of the notification process:
- The Standard Written Notification Form
- The Consumer Bulletin
- The Pesticide Fact Sheet
Notification Options
- Hard copies distributed to Students, Parents, and Employees
- Posting on school website
Most schools put the three documents on the school's website and direct parents to this information by use of an all call phone system or by a letter brought home by students.
Notification Timing
Standard written notification shall be issued to parents and employees no less than two working days and no more than seven working days prior to any pesticide application made to outdoor school property.
a) Standard Written Notification shall be issued for every outside pesticide application.
b) In the case of a situation where the pesticide application cannot be made on the proposed date, the application may take place during the following 72 hours
without issuing a new Standard Written Notification.
c) If a school administrator is aware of any scheduled use of outside property by youth groups, he or she shall inform the organizers of any such group regarding
the proposed pesticide application.
Additional Information
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) has specific expectations for school IPM plans if you anticipate that spraying for mosquitoes may be necessary.
If your school's IPM plan identifies mosquitoes as a pest to be controlled and it includes the pesticides listed above, you should not need to request an Emergency Waiver from your local board of health. An Emergency Waiver will only be necessary if you need to waive the notification time requirements (less than two working days prior to spraying).
If a school has not identified mosquitoes as a pest and the above pesticides in their IPM plan, it can only be sprayed through the Emergency Waiver Process.
Records of pesticide applications must be kept on file for 5 years.
Day Care Exemptions
Any exempt program will have one of the following designations on their EEC issued license:
1. Family Childcare
2. Family Childcare Plus
3. Large Family Childcare
All other licensed childcare, daycare and after-school programs need to follow
the CFPA.
Additional Resources
Massachusetts Children and Families Protection Act: CFPA web page