Schools to Allow Use of One Herbicide

Seeking to control a campus weed problem without using potentially harmful chemicals, Los Angeles Unified School District officials said Thursday they will allow use of a low-grade herbicide while continuing to explore such alternatives as a heat wand.

Neither method appears to kill weeds at the roots, officials said, but both adhere to the district’s pest-control policy adopted in March, which calls for the phasing out of hazardous pesticides and herbicides over the next three years.

The majority of the district’s 15-member pest management team--which includes administrators, teachers, parents, community members, environmental activists, health officials and scientists--voted Wednesday to allow the use of Scythe, a low-risk herbicide made from a naturally occurring fatty acid.

“This will enable us to get the weeds under control,” said Rick Henry, the district’s integrated pest management coordinator and a member of the pest management team.

Weeds have become unruly at many of the district’s 668 schools, causing complaints from principals and parents who are concerned about children stumbling on grassy patches on the asphalt playgrounds and skinning their knees. Homeowners have also objected to the ugliness of neighborhood campuses.

One weed-killing method the district began testing earlier this month is the heat wand, a round tube attached to a propane tank.

The wand wilts weeds with heat.

Although officials are still experimenting with different types of weeds, they said the wand has been effective at killing the leafy part of the weed, but not its roots.