Urging a school administration to stop bus idling and to switch to green cleaners and less-toxic pesticides can seem daunting to a parent working alone. Enlist the support of your school’s Parent Teacher Association ( pta.org). You’ll have far greater success when everyone is advocating for the same change.

Eliminate Pests

Because synthetic pesticides are frequently used in schools, switching to less-toxic alternatives is a great way to keep growing bodies and brains healthy. Pesticides are sprayed outside on lawns and inside for bugs and rodents, often with no warning, and the neurotoxic chemicals in these products have been linked to cancer and asthma in children. Those sprayed outside get tracked inside on students’ shoes, exposing kids for days or weeks after application, says Jonathan Kaplan, a senior policy specialist at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

There are no comprehensive federal regulations governing pesticide use in schools, but moms and dads can check city and state laws to make sure their school at least complies with local rules (many states now have pesticide restrictions). Parents should insist on receiving a spraying schedule and a list of pesticides used. “In California, for example, all of that data is required to be maintained by public schools and available to the public on request,” Kaplan says. To change the way schools deal with pests, ask

probing questions about your school’s pest management plans and urge the school to hire third-party-certified integrated pest management (IPM) companies, which replace chemical pesticides with control methods like sealing points of entry, caulking cracks in the walls and maintaining lawns to reduce pests. Third-party-certification agencies include Green Shield (greenshield certified.org) and IPM Star ( ipminstitute.org/ipmstar.htm).

It might feel strange to advocate for so much, but it’s no less than many parents have already done in their homes. Moms and dads willing to make pains of themselves will see results for many more children than their own.

RESOURCES FOR GREEN SCHOOL ACTIVISTS HealthySchools.org

HealthyChild.com