Minnesota Legislature
Office of the Revisor of Statutes
2007 Minnesota Statutes
This is an historical version of this statute chapter. Also view the most recent published version.
121A.30 PESTICIDE APPLICATION AT SCHOOLS.
Subdivision 1. Parents' Right-to-Know Act. Subdivisions 2 to 14 may be cited as the Janet
B. Johnson Parents' Right-to-Know Act of 2000.
Subd. 2. Pesticide application notification. A school that plans to apply a pesticide which is
a toxicity category I, II, or III pesticide product, as classified by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency, or a restricted use pesticide, as designated under the Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, on school property, must provide a notice to parents and
employees that it applies such pesticides. The notice required under subdivision 3 must:
(1) provide that an estimated schedule of the pesticide applications is available for review or
copying at the school offices where such pesticides are applied;
(2) state that long-term health effects on children from the application of such pesticides or
the class of chemicals to which they belong may not be fully understood;
(3) inform parents that a parent may request to be notified by the school in the manner
specified in subdivision 6 before any application of a pesticide listed in this subdivision.
Subd. 3. Notice; timing; distribution. The notice must be provided no later than September
15 of each school year during which pesticides listed in subdivision 2 are planned to be applied.
The notice may be included with other notices provided by the school, but must be separately
identified and clearly visible to the reader.
Subd. 4. School handbook or statement of policies. In addition to the notice provided
according to subdivision 3, a school that is required to provide notice under this section shall
include in an official school handbook or official school policy guide of a general nature a section
informing parents that an estimated schedule of applications of pesticides listed in subdivision 2 is
available for review or copying at the school offices, and that a parent may receive prior notice
of each application if specifically requested.
Subd. 5. Notice availability. A school that uses a pesticide listed in subdivision 2 must keep
a copy of all notifications required under subdivisions 2 and 3 for at least six years in a manner
available to the public.
Subd. 6. Notification for individual parents. A parent of a student at a school may request
that the school principal or other person having general control and supervision of the school
notify the parent prior to the application of any pesticides listed in subdivision 2 at the school on a
day different from the days specified in the notice under subdivision 3. The school principal or
other person having general control and supervision of the school must provide reasonable notice
to a parent who has requested such notification prior to applying such pesticides. The notice may
be waived for emergency applications required only by appropriate state or local health officials.
The notice must include the pesticide to be applied, the time of the planned application, and
the location at the school of the planned application. A school may request reimbursement for
the school's reasonable costs of providing notice under this subdivision, including any costs of
mailing, from individuals requesting notification under this subdivision.
Subd. 7. Model notice. The Department of Health, in consultation with the Department of
Education, the Pollution Control Agency, and University of Minnesota Extension Service, shall
develop and make available to schools by August 1, 2000, a model notice in a form that can be
used by a school if it chooses to do so. The model notice must include the information required by
this section. The Department of Health must provide an opportunity for environmental groups,
interested parents, public health organizations, and other parties to work with the department in
developing the model notice.
Subd. 8. Plan. A school is not required to adopt an integrated pest management plan. A
school board may only notify students, parents, or employees that it has adopted an integrated
pest management plan if the plan is a managed pest control program designed to minimize the
risk to human health and the environment and to reduce the use of chemical pesticides, and which
ranks the district's response to pests in the following manner:
(1) identifying pests which need to be controlled;
(2) establishing tolerable limits of each identified pest;
(3) designing future buildings and landscapes to prevent identified pests;
(4) excluding identified pests from sites and buildings using maintenance practices;
(5) adapting cleaning activities and best management practices to minimize the number of
pests;
(6) using mechanical methods of controlling identified pests; and
(7) controlling identified pests using the least toxic pesticides with the least exposure
to persons as is practicable.
Subd. 9. Pesticide defined; cleaning products excluded. For purposes of this section, the
term "pesticide" has the meaning given it in section 18B.01, subdivision 18, except that it does
not include any disinfectants, sanitizers, deodorizers, or antimicrobial agents used for general
cleaning purposes.
Subd. 10. Pest defined. For purposes of this section, the term "pest" has the meaning given it
in section 18B.01, subdivision 17.
Subd. 11. School defined. For the purposes of this section, "school" means a school as
defined in section 120A.22, subdivision 4, excluding home schools.
Subd. 12. Immunity from liability. No cause of action may be brought against a school
district, a school, or the districts or school's employees or agents for any failure to comply with
the requirements under this section.
Subd. 13. Evidence of failure to comply excluded. A failure to comply with the
requirements of this section may not be presented as evidence in any lawsuit based upon physical
injury resulting from exposure to pesticides applied at a school.
Subd. 14. No special rights. Nothing in this section affects the duty of a parent or a student
to comply with the compulsory attendance law or the duty of a school employee to comply with
the provisions of an applicable employment contract or policy.
History: 1986 c 444; 2000 c 489 art 7 s 1; 2003 c 130 s 12; 1Sp2005 c 1 art 2 s 161
Subdivision 1. Parents' Right-to-Know Act. Subdivisions 2 to 14 may be cited as the Janet
B. Johnson Parents' Right-to-Know Act of 2000.
Subd. 2. Pesticide application notification. A school that plans to apply a pesticide which is
a toxicity category I, II, or III pesticide product, as classified by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency, or a restricted use pesticide, as designated under the Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, on school property, must provide a notice to parents and
employees that it applies such pesticides. The notice required under subdivision 3 must:
(1) provide that an estimated schedule of the pesticide applications is available for review or
copying at the school offices where such pesticides are applied;
(2) state that long-term health effects on children from the application of such pesticides or
the class of chemicals to which they belong may not be fully understood;
(3) inform parents that a parent may request to be notified by the school in the manner
specified in subdivision 6 before any application of a pesticide listed in this subdivision.
Subd. 3. Notice; timing; distribution. The notice must be provided no later than September
15 of each school year during which pesticides listed in subdivision 2 are planned to be applied.
The notice may be included with other notices provided by the school, but must be separately
identified and clearly visible to the reader.
Subd. 4. School handbook or statement of policies. In addition to the notice provided
according to subdivision 3, a school that is required to provide notice under this section shall
include in an official school handbook or official school policy guide of a general nature a section
informing parents that an estimated schedule of applications of pesticides listed in subdivision 2 is
available for review or copying at the school offices, and that a parent may receive prior notice
of each application if specifically requested.
Subd. 5. Notice availability. A school that uses a pesticide listed in subdivision 2 must keep
a copy of all notifications required under subdivisions 2 and 3 for at least six years in a manner
available to the public.
Subd. 6. Notification for individual parents. A parent of a student at a school may request
that the school principal or other person having general control and supervision of the school
notify the parent prior to the application of any pesticides listed in subdivision 2 at the school on a
day different from the days specified in the notice under subdivision 3. The school principal or
other person having general control and supervision of the school must provide reasonable notice
to a parent who has requested such notification prior to applying such pesticides. The notice may
be waived for emergency applications required only by appropriate state or local health officials.
The notice must include the pesticide to be applied, the time of the planned application, and
the location at the school of the planned application. A school may request reimbursement for
the school's reasonable costs of providing notice under this subdivision, including any costs of
mailing, from individuals requesting notification under this subdivision.
Subd. 7. Model notice. The Department of Health, in consultation with the Department of
Education, the Pollution Control Agency, and University of Minnesota Extension Service, shall
develop and make available to schools by August 1, 2000, a model notice in a form that can be
used by a school if it chooses to do so. The model notice must include the information required by
this section. The Department of Health must provide an opportunity for environmental groups,
interested parents, public health organizations, and other parties to work with the department in
developing the model notice.
Subd. 8. Plan. A school is not required to adopt an integrated pest management plan. A
school board may only notify students, parents, or employees that it has adopted an integrated
pest management plan if the plan is a managed pest control program designed to minimize the
risk to human health and the environment and to reduce the use of chemical pesticides, and which
ranks the district's response to pests in the following manner:
(1) identifying pests which need to be controlled;
(2) establishing tolerable limits of each identified pest;
(3) designing future buildings and landscapes to prevent identified pests;
(4) excluding identified pests from sites and buildings using maintenance practices;
(5) adapting cleaning activities and best management practices to minimize the number of
pests;
(6) using mechanical methods of controlling identified pests; and
(7) controlling identified pests using the least toxic pesticides with the least exposure
to persons as is practicable.
Subd. 9. Pesticide defined; cleaning products excluded. For purposes of this section, the
term "pesticide" has the meaning given it in section 18B.01, subdivision 18, except that it does
not include any disinfectants, sanitizers, deodorizers, or antimicrobial agents used for general
cleaning purposes.
Subd. 10. Pest defined. For purposes of this section, the term "pest" has the meaning given it
in section 18B.01, subdivision 17.
Subd. 11. School defined. For the purposes of this section, "school" means a school as
defined in section 120A.22, subdivision 4, excluding home schools.
Subd. 12. Immunity from liability. No cause of action may be brought against a school
district, a school, or the districts or school's employees or agents for any failure to comply with
the requirements under this section.
Subd. 13. Evidence of failure to comply excluded. A failure to comply with the
requirements of this section may not be presented as evidence in any lawsuit based upon physical
injury resulting from exposure to pesticides applied at a school.
Subd. 14. No special rights. Nothing in this section affects the duty of a parent or a student
to comply with the compulsory attendance law or the duty of a school employee to comply with
the provisions of an applicable employment contract or policy.
History: 1986 c 444; 2000 c 489 art 7 s 1; 2003 c 130 s 12; 1Sp2005 c 1 art 2 s 161
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Revisor of Statutes