Much has been made in recent weeks about plummeting test scores and poor academic performance in Pennsylvania classrooms. (Parents Alarmed Over Plummeting Test Scores in Pennsylvania, Philly.com., Sept. 15, 2015.)School officials blame the decline on a variety of factors including demographics, financial resources, difficulty of tests and a lack of teacher training. Another factor worth considering is the increased amount of neurotoxins in our environment due to a surge in pesticide spraying throughout the region.During the summer of 2015, record amounts of pesticides were sprayed across Pennsylvania in response to the hysteria over “gypsy moth blight” and “West Nile virus.”Pesticides are being sprayed over schools, playgrounds, parks and residential communities.All pesticides contain neurotoxins that affect brain function in both adults and children, although children are more susceptible due to their developing brains.Recent studies show a correlation between exposure to pesticides and hyperactivity and ADHD in children.These conditions impair a child’s ability to learn and perform well on standardized tests. (Hyperactivity higher in children exposed to common pyrethroid pesticides.

http://www.ejournal.net/content/14/1/44#abs)Spraying is heaviest in agricultural and rural areas, many of which are experiencing a growth in population.Now that school is in session, it might be a good idea to stop spraying so our children can learn and play in a chemical-free environment and get the quality education they deserve.Juliet PerrinAlbrightsville