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Pennsylvania School District Pioneer in IPM - December 2004
November 3, 2004
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - A school district in Pennsylvania had a head start in establishing an effective, safe pest management program in its school buildings and on its school grounds.
Gerald Ingram, director of facilities and IPM coordinator of the Mt. Lebanon School District, says that an integrated pest management program was established over four years ago, making it one of the first in the state to do so. Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a kid-safe, economical and scientific, step-wise approach to pest management. IPM integrates knowledge of pest identity and biology with pest monitoring so that actions, if any, can be taken at just the right time. In addition, IPM uses a combination of management tactics such as biological, cultural, physical and chemical that is more likely to be safe and effective. Emphasis is placed on prevention of problems by eliminating conditions conducive to pest entry and survival, with pesticide use as a last resort.
Legislation now requires all Pennsylvania public schools to adopt an IPM plan to manage their pest problems both in and out of the classroom. In addition, all public schools must provide notification to parents, students and teachers in advance of pesticide applications. Pesticides are not applied when students, teachers or staff are present in the affected area to assure the safety of the school-learning environment.
Ingram says that their IPM program was initiated at the urging of concerned parents prior to the legislation being passed. "The Mt. Lebanon School District is a nationally recognized and award winning school district, and is part of a community that has a strong commitment to education. Parents felt that IPM would be a natural fit for their schools, so they did their own research before presenting the idea to the school board," says Ingram. In addition, Ingram says they utilized materials from the Pennsylvania IPM Program and had school district personnel attend IPM training programs.
Their IPM program has been very successful over the years, says Ingram. "We are using alternate methods of controlling pests which parents, teachers and administrators are more comfortable with, but yet are still very effective. For example, when their children are playing outside on school property, parents no longer have to worry about toxic agents being on the ground," Ingram explains.
While the results overall have been positive for the school district, some aspects of IPM can be limiting, concedes Ingram. "In meeting community notification requirements involving pre-treatment posting you do need more manpower for the program to be effective, and therefore it can be an additional expense and delay the actual treatment application," he says. Currently, the school district utilizes a local pest control company when pesticides need to be applied. In addition, Ingram needs board approval before applying any pest control method not previously approved. "Because of the program, however, we are more proactive about preventing pest problems," he states.
The IPM program includes thirteen buildings and all school grounds in the district, which over 5,500 students attend. "Schools in general have more responsibilities now than ever before, and ensuring a safe and healthy environment for children is a good example of one of those areas. Our IPM program is helping us to fulfill that role," says Ingram.
For more information on school IPM, go to the Pennsylvania IPM Program's Web site at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/. By clicking on the "Schools" link, visitors also can download "IPM for Pennsylvania Schools, A How-To Manual." The link also leads to information about the school IPM effort in Pennsylvania and to educational materials from across the country. In addition, the site offers an interactive database to assist teachers with IPM background information, lesson plans and support materials from throughout the United States.
The Pennsylvania IPM (PA IPM) program is a collaboration between Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting IPM in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations. . For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/. To view our archived news releases, see Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/10.html.