Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified Stops Using Pesticides To Kill Gophers After Parents' Complaints

PALOS VERDES, CA -- After parents raised concerns about the use of pesticides to cut down on the gopher problems at certain schools, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District has agreed to stop using them, the Daily Breeze reported.

The parents were not happy about the lack of communication about the pesticides use from the school district and some even blame the pesticides for their children's health problems, according to the Daily Breeze.

Parents of several students say they noticed symptoms such as rashes and, in one case, difficulty breathing after the pesticides were applied on Presidents Day weekend, the Daily Breeze reported.

District Superintendent Don Austin told parents in an email that there have been no confirmed health-related issues from the use of pesticides, according to the Daily Breeze.

“This is the same product used regularly on our fields for at least five years and is the same product used throughout most of the Los Angeles Metropolitan area," he said, as reported by the Daily Breeze. "If parents have concerns, we would like them to contact their site principal.”

For more on this story, visit the Daily Breeze.

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