School Board discusses herbicide spraying at Decorah Middle School field

Earlier this month, the Decorah School District received a number of calls of concern regarding herbicide application to the practice field area at the Decorah Middle School and Carrie Lee Elementary. Buildings and Grounds Director Greg Schaller presented information about the district's use of herbicides at Monday's Board meeting.

Schaller started by sharing information about how often areas in the district are sprayed, noting the baseball and softball fields are sprayed every year. The area in question, however, is only sprayed on an as-needed basis.  Decorah High School Athletic Director Adam Riley commented, "It was getting is rough shape." Before this most recent treatment, the last application was done three years ago.

In the past, this large, grassy area has been used for physical education classes, middle school football, and activities for students at Carrie Lee.  Decorah Middle School Principal Justin Albers added, "It is uncertain how it'll be used in the coming year with social distancing, but it's important to keep it in good shape as it could be utilized for more outdoor classrooms and for students to spread out."

With this in mind, Schaller talked about how it's important to keep the weeds under control so the grass can continue to thrive. "If we get kids out there and the property is covered with weeds such as clover and dandelions, it's going to get torn up and choke out the grass."   

When asked if there are alternatives, Schaller responded, "We've tried all kinds of different things in the past, including things like corn gluten, and nothing has worked." Adding to the struggle of finding effective alternatives is the "outrageous costs" of other products. He reiterated, "Nothing else we've tried has worked in the past."