AN ACT to enact the schoolchildren's health act of 2006.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑12 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
"(33)	Duty to Protect the Health of School‑Age Children From Toxicants at School. – The State Board shall address public health and environmental issues in the classroom and on school grounds by doing all of the following:
a.	Develop guidelines for sealing existing arsenic‑treated wood in playground equipment or establish a time line for removing existing arsenic‑treated wood on playgrounds and testing the soil on school grounds for contamination caused by the leaching of arsenic‑treated wood in other areas where children may be at particularly high risk of exposure.
b.	Establish guidelines to reduce students' exposure to diesel emissions that can occur as a result of unnecessary school bus idling, nose‑to‑tail parking, and inefficient route assignments.
c.	Study methods for mold and mildew prevention and mitigation and incorporate recommendations into the public school facilities guidelines as needed.
d.	Establish guidelines for Integrated Pest Management consistent with the policy of The North Carolina School Boards Association, Inc., as published in 2004. These guidelines may be updated as needed to reflect changes in technology.
e.	Establish guidelines for notification of students' parents, guardians, or custodians as well as school staff of pesticide use on school grounds."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑47 is amended by adding four new subdivisions to read:
"(45)	To Address the Use of Pesticides in Schools. – Local boards of education shall adopt policies that address the use of pesticides in schools. These policies shall:
a.	Require the principal or the principal's designee to annually notify the students' parents, guardians, or custodians as well as school staff of the schedule of pesticide use on school property and their right to request notification. Such notification shall be made, to the extent possible, at least 72 hours in advance of nonscheduled pesticide use on school property. The notification requirements under this subdivision do not apply to the application of the following types of pesticide products:  antimicrobial cleansers, disinfectants, self‑contained baits and crack‑and‑crevice treatments, and any pesticide products classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as belonging to the U.S.E.P.A. Toxicity Class IV, "relatively nontoxic" (no signal word required on the product's label).
b.	Require the use of Integrated Pest Management. As used in this sub‑subdivision, "Integrated Pest Management" or "IPM" means the comprehensive approach to pest management that combines biological, physical, chemical, and cultural tactics as well as effective, economic, environmentally sound, and socially acceptable methods to prevent and solve pest problems that emphasizes pest prevention and provides a decision‑making process for determining if, when, and where pest suppression is needed and what control tactics and methods are appropriate.
(46)	To Address Arsenic‑Treated Wood in the Classroom and on School Grounds. – Local boards of education shall prohibit the purchase or acceptance of chromated copper arsenate‑treated wood for future use on school grounds. Local boards of education shall seal existing arsenic‑treated wood in playground equipment or establish a time line for removing existing arsenic‑treated wood on playgrounds, according to the guidelines established under G.S. 115C‑12(33). Local boards of education are encouraged to test the soil on school grounds for contamination caused by the leaching of arsenic‑treated wood.
(47)	To Address Mercury in the Classroom and on School Grounds. – Local boards of education are encouraged to remove and properly dispose of all bulk elemental mercury, chemical mercury, and bulk mercury compounds used as teaching aids in science classrooms, not including barometers. Local boards of education shall prohibit the future use of bulk elemental mercury, chemical mercury compounds, and bulk mercury compounds used as teaching aids in science classrooms, not including barometers.
(48)	To Address Exposure to Diesel Exhaust Fumes. – Local boards of education shall adopt policies and procedures to reduce students' exposure to diesel emissions."
SECTION 3.  Nothing in this act shall be construed to create a private cause of action against the State Board of Education, a local board of education, or their agents or employees.
SECTION 4.  G.S. 115C‑47(45)b., as enacted by Section 2 of this act, becomes effective October 1, 2011. The remainder of this act becomes effective October 1, 2006.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 10th day of July, 2006.

	s/	 Beverly E. Perdue
	 President of the Senate

	s/	 James B. Black
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

	s/	 Michael F. Easley
	 Governor

Approved 7:39 p.m. this 19th day of July, 2006