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A California school district is freezing pesticide use as parents in an affluent Orange County community demand answers over a string of rare childhood cancer cases.
The Capistrano Unified School District announced Wednesday that it is imposing a 60-day pause on routine landscape chemicals, including herbicides and pesticide spray applications used for weed control, while officials review the products currently approved for use.
The move comes after hundreds of residents packed a Ladera Ranch community meeting, calling for answers about a reported cluster of rare cancers affecting children connected to the neighborhood.
Since 2007, about nine children tied to the Ladera Ranch community have been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer that primarily affects children and young adults.
Many families and advocates believe the official count does not capture the full scope of the crisis.
Health officials have said no environmental cause has been identified.
But families have pointed to years of pesticide and herbicide use throughout the sprawling master-planned community as a possible factor.
The devastating illnesses have already claimed young lives.
Seventeen-year-old Brody Matteson died in March 2026 after battling Ewing sarcoma for nearly two years.
He was diagnosed shortly before his 16th birthday and died from treatment-related complications.
His mother, Megan Matteson, has become one of the community’s most outspoken advocates for answers.
Lily Dalton, 23, died in January 2026 after battling Ewing sarcoma following her college graduation.
She spent significant time in Ladera Ranch with her boyfriend, and her father, Brian Dalton, has pushed for environmental testing.
The concerns have also spread beyond Ewing sarcoma.
Jessica Keetch said her 18-year-old daughter, Haven, who lives in the same Ladera Ranch community, lost her leg after developing synovial sarcoma, another rare cancer that affects fewer than 1,000 Americans each year.
Some residents now fear the illnesses may not be limited to people.
Ladera Ranch resident Kira Davis said she began questioning whether pets in the community were also being affected after her own dog developed a brain tumor and went blind.
“My dog has cancer. She just developed a brain tumor out of nowhere last year and went blind. And she’s only seven or eight,” Davis told NewsNation host Katie Pavlich on Katie Pavlich Tonight.
Davis said neighbors later shared similar stories involving their own pets.
The district’s decision follows another move by a local landscaping authority.
Last month, the Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corporation, which handles landscaping and maintenance for the community, announced a temporary pause on certain landscape chemicals.
“The Board has directed staff to implement a temporary 60-day pause on the routine use of certain landscape maintenance products used for weed management and plant growth regulation,” LARMAC said in a statement.
The organization also created an ad hoc Landscape Pest Management Advisory Committee made up of homeowners and board members to review its current program.
At Capistrano Unified campuses, grounds crews will continue maintenance during the pause through preventive landscaping practices, mechanical and manual weed removal, and other techniques, according to a letter sent to district families.
District officials said the Capistrano Unified Board of Trustees is expected to consider a resolution next week requiring annual reviews of the herbicides and pesticides used in the district’s landscape maintenance program while encouraging continued evaluation of safer alternatives.
The district said it will also provide families with a frequently asked questions document explaining the review process and proposed policy changes.
While officials did not directly link the pesticide review to the cancer cases, they acknowledged residents have raised concerns about landscaping products used in neighborhoods and shared spaces.
The growing alarm has now reached the federal level.
Last month, First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli asked Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to investigate whether environmental factors could be contributing to the reported cancer cases and whether any federal environmental laws may have been violated.
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