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Frequently Asked Questions About School IPM - September 2004
September 1, 2004
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - Who can spray pesticides in schools? Do all school buildings need to have an IPM plan in place? To find the answers, many school administrators, facility managers, teachers and parents are turning to the "Frequently Asked Questions" section of the Pennsylvania IPM Program's Web site at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/176.htm.
IPM plans rely heavily on prevention, sanitation, maintenance, and monitoring to reduce the reliance on pesticides, says Ed Rajotte, professor of entomology at Penn State University and Pennsylvania IPM Program Coordinator. "Control strategies in an IPM plan include structural and procedural modifications that reduce the food, water, harborage, and access used by pests. Pesticides are used on an as-needed basis as determined by monitoring. When a pesticide is needed, it is applied in an enclosed trap or on a spot treatment basis whenever possible and targeted to the specific pest. Due to the new law, every school district has to have an IPM plan."
In addition, the least toxic, shortest duration effective material is used. Pesticides may not be applied when students, teachers or staff are present or expect to be present within seven hours of the application in the affected area to assure the safety of the school-learning environment.
"Frequently Asked Questions" is a question and answer area on the Web site that addresses Acts 2002-35 (Integrated Pest Management Plan Act) and 2002-36 (Pesticide Notification Act), which took effect January 1, 2003. The legislation requires schools to provide notification to parents, students and teachers in advance of pesticide applications and requires schools to adopt an IPM plan.
According to Ken Long, Pennsylvania IPM education specialist, the Web site includes an interactive form people can use to submit their own questions. "A PA IPM Program staff member will contact that person with an answer and the question may be posted to the Web page," he says.
For more information on School IPM, see the School IPM section on the program's Web site at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/. Find out more about the School IPM effort in Pennsylvania with links to educational material from across the country. There is also an interactive database on the Web site to assist teachers with IPM background information, lesson plans and support materials throughout the U.S. In addition, you can download several publications, including the PA IPM Program's "IPM for Pennsylvania Schools, A How-To Manual".
The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management 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.
(The answers to the above questions: only a certified applicator, a registered technician or a person under the control of the certified applicator who is physically present at the time may apply pesticides in schools or on school grounds; and all school districts, intermediate units and area vocational technical schools need an IPM plan).