U.S. EPA National Center of Expertise for School IPM

EPA Announces Launch of National Center of Expertise for School Integrated Pest Management

The EPA is announcing the launch of its National Center of Expertise for School Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The Center will provide leadership and expertise to carry out the goal of ensuring that millions of children in our Nation’s schools benefit from IPM practices and verifiable IPM programs. The Center will serve as a national resource on School IPM, as well as a facilitator of activities amongst key School IPM stakeholders at the local, regional, and Federal level. 

Situated at EPA Region 6 in Dallas, TX, the Center is an arm of the Office of Pesticide Programs’ Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division - Environmental Stewardship Branch.

Protecting children’s health where they live, learn, and play is a top priority for the EPA. Children in the United States continue to face potential risks arising from exposure to pests and pesticides in school settings. School IPM is an approach to managing pests that schools can use to reduce pest and pesticide risk for students and staff. The EPA’s recently released Strategic and Implementation Plans for School IPM demonstrate how the EPA will promote the goal for all of the nation’s children to be covered by a verifiable and ongoing school IPM program.

The Center of Expertise will focus on a wide range of school IPM activities including:

• Developing and refining national program direction

• Coordinating Regional activities to achieve national goals

• Creating and maintaining web-based resources

• Coordinating with other EPA national programs

Center staff includes Thomas Cook, Lead Environmental Protection Specialist; Sherry Glick, a senior Environmental Protection Specialist; Brad Miller, Environmental Protection Specialist; and Brian Davidson, Environmental Protection Specialist.