Bill would require schools to update and post integrated pest management plans, include school gardens

House Bill 2684 would require school boards to review, update and post online their Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plans, including the district’s low-impact pesticide list, and would explicitly include school gardens in the definition of campus.

Representative Zac Hudson, the bill sponsor, told the Senate Education Committee that children are especially susceptible to pesticide exposure and that the bill builds on a 2009 law by requiring plans adopted prior to the bill’s effective date to be updated by Jan. 1, 2027, or within five years of the plan’s most recent approval. Hudson said the bill clarifies that the low-impact pesticide list is part of the IPM plan and that the plan may be posted as part of a district’s healthy and safe schools plan.

Supporters from environmental and labor organizations told senators the change would increase transparency and protect students, staff and community members who use school grounds. Jennifer Aizalek of Beyond Toxics said HB 2684 "strengthens and modernizes the existing school integrated pest management law to better protect children from unnecessary pesticide exposure in schools." Marisol de la Torre of Oregon Just Transition Alliance and Cynthia Ramirez, a policy associate with Oregon’s Farmworker Union, testified in support, citing environmental justice and data transparency concerns.

Concerns and implementation questions: Rocky Dahl of Oregonians for Food and Shelter testified that school districts rely heavily on a model low-impact pesticides list that Oregon State University faculty have maintained as a public service; Dahl flagged the risk that if that courtesy list is not codified or funded it could disappear. He recommended linking the list’s maintenance to an agency or funding source; he noted a related bill (HB 3915) would have directed the Department of Agriculture to compile such a list but did not move forward in the House.

Committee discussion focused on workload and geographic equity: senators asked whether rural districts have different pesticide concerns and how frequently districts would need to update the plan. Supporters said a five-year update cycle was chosen to limit burden and that the Department of Agriculture provides guidance and training to districts.

Formal action at this hearing: The committee held a public hearing; no committee-level vote on HB 2684 was recorded during this session. Testimony noted that HB 2684 passed the House Committee on Education with unanimous bipartisan support prior to this hearing.