newcehnheader
[ home ] [ resource guide ] [ training manual ] [ get involved ] [ publications ] [ index ] [ about CEHN ]

 


What's New

Donate
 Donate Now

Links

 

 

 

California Project:

Fact Sheet on

SCHOOL INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT

(School IPM)

Children, still in the critical stages of growth and development, are more vulnerable to toxins and residual build up of pesticides used to eliminate pests. Children are explorers and will often run and tumble on grass and outdoor plants that are the targets of outdoor pest exposures. School aged children spend most of their school day indoors and can be exposed for long periods of time to the toxic chemicals found in most indoor pesticides.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a form of pest control that uses the most economical and the least hazardous methods. Using basic information on the life cycle of pests and their interactions with the environment, IPM can eliminate factors that attract pests.

School IPM ensures long-term reduction (and perhaps elimination) of the use of chemical pesticides in schools. IPM fights pests by changing sites that provide ideal conditions for pest growth and establishment. IPM uses pesticides only as a last resort and only in areas not contacted by children or staff. Community awareness and participation are also part of school IPM policy.

Examples of School IPM measures are (1):

  • Keep vegetation away from the walls of the school
  • Keep cracks in walls and pavements sealed
  • Clean out desks and lockers at least twice each year   
  • Wash food containers and utensil quickly when dirtied
  • Clean up litter and keep trash cans clean
  • Apply fertilizers several times a year, as opposed to one large dose
  • Use pesticides only sparingly and in select places where human populations do not travel frequently

The School IPM websites listed below offer audience-specific information for teachers and administrators. The teacher's guide offers examples of IPM curriculum that teachers can use in the classroom (2), and the administrators guide offers documents on pesticide notification procedures, organizational directories, sample policy statements and surveys (3). Parents can work through their organizations to urge school systems to develop IPM policies and committees (4).

There are many training manuals and models that schools can use to design IPM programs (5). In California, the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) assists schools and school districts in establishing IPM programs, including training, program development, and a tailored guidebook. Also in California, the Healthy Schools Act of 2000 set requirements about notification of pesticide use in schools as well as requires that each school district have an IPM coordinator to oversee the meeting of the new requirements (6).

For more information about IPM and to obtain brochures and booklets, visit the web addresses below.

1. Environmental Protection Agency

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/ipm/

2. School IPM, Teaching

http://schoolipm.ifas.ufl.edu/teach.htm

3. School IPM, Administrators

http://schoolipm.ifas.ufl.edu/admn_nfo.htm

4. School IPM, Parents

http://schoolipm.ifas.ufl.edu/ipm-par.htm

5. Environmental Protection Agency, How-To Manual

http://www.epa.gov/Region9/toxic/pest/school/index.html

6. California School IPM

http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/cfdocs/apps/schoolipm/overview/main.cfm?crumbs_list=1,3

For more information and resources in California, visit the web addresses below.

Return to CEHN California Home Page