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to ask questions, learn from others and share successes and challenges.
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What's New This Month
 Radon
is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that emanates from rock and
soil and can enter school facilities through cracks and openings in
building foundations.This January, as part of National Radon Action Month, U.S. EPA encourages you to test your school facilities for radon. To learn more, click here.
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Highlights
Organize an IPM Symposium for ICE 2016! All
individuals are encouraged to develop and submit symposia on IPM,
including IPM in agriculture and communities including land care,
schools and other facilities!
Symposia for ICE 2016 will be 2-4 hours in length and will
feature 15-minute presentations related to the symposium topic based
on 30 identified scientific sections. The deadline for submissions is March 2, 2015.
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New Year, New USDA Farm to School webinar series.
There
will be 2 to 3 webinars per month starting in January, all taking place
at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Following is the schedule of webinars:
January 15
Farm to School Planning and Building a Team
January 28
Setting Goals and Establishing an Evaluation Baseline
February 5
Finding and Buying Local Foods
February 19
Farm to School Menu Planning
March 5
Food Safety
March 19
Promoting Your Farm to School Program
April 2
School Gardening
April 16
Curriculum Integration
April 30
Program Sustainability
May 13
Evaluating Your Program
May 28
Tying it All Together and Digging In
To register for these webinars please sign up at this link.
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Upcoming Events
February 18-19, 2015
School IPM Coordinator Training
DFW Area
March 4-7, 2015
5th Annual Green Schools National Conference
Virginia Beach, VA
March 24-26, 2015
8th International IPM Symposium
Salt Lake City, UT
April 6-8, 2015
2015 Imported Fire Ant and Invasive Pest Ant Conference
New Orleans, LA
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*View this newsletter as a PDF
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Greetings from School IPM 2020!
Every day, 49
million children attend school in the United States, served by nearly
seven million teachers and staff. But they're not alone. Schools are
also frequented by a number of pests including cockroaches, mice, dust
mites and more. Asthma is epidemic among children, impacting nearly
6% of school children nationally with rates as high as 25% in urban
centers. House mice and cockroaches are potent asthma triggers.
Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) is a prevention-based, highly effective approach
proven to reduce pest complaints and pesticide use by up to 90% in
schools and other public buildings. IPM practices such as sanitation
and exclusion also improve food safety, fire safety and energy
conservation. Our newsletter highlights real-life examples of IPM in
practice and can help you start an IPM program in your school
district. For more information, visit www.schoolipm2015.com.
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Tools for School IPM Whether
you have a well-established school IPM program or are just getting
started, a number of free and useful resources are available online.
The School IPM 2020 initiative
resource webpage is a great place to start. Here you will find links to
sample documents, fact sheets, presentations, checklists, newsletters
and other school IPM aids.
IPM Curricula
A school IPM program is
most successful when everyone is involved, including students. A fun way
to get students excited and interested is to incorporate school IPM
into the classroom curriculum. IPM lessons can prepare students to be
informed, inquisitive and proactive participants in healthier schools
and at home. Most available IPM curricula meet the Next Generation
Science Standards and can easily be integrated into existing science
curriculum.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tools
EPA's Tools for Schools
Action Kit includes checklists, factsheets and guidelines regarding
indoor air quality, a concern directly related to IPM. EPA regional
contacts are available to answer questions and can be found at the
bottom of the resources to get started webpage.
Get involved!
Interested in learning
more about your region's school IPM programs and work? Join your
regional working group and be a voice for IPM at your school/district!
To learn more about school IPM programs in your state, click here. If you notice that an active coalition or school IPM webpage is not listed, please contact Mariel Snyder.
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New California Healthy Schools Act Amendments Require IPM Training
As of January 1, 2015 several new amendments
to California's Healthy Schools Act will take effect to promote the use
of IPM practices in schools and daycares throughout the state. The new
regulations require schools and licensed daycare centers to report their
pesticide use annually to the California Department of Pesticide
Regulation (DPR). Additionally, any facilities that apply "non-exempt"
pesticides must develop and post an IPM plan for the school or school
district online. School districts without websites are required to
physically distribute their IPM plan to all parents, guardians and
staff. Exempt pesticides are 1) pesticides used in self-contained
baits or traps; 2) gels or pastes used in crack and crevice treatments;
3) antimicrobials; and 4) pesticides that contain active and inert
ingredients exempt from U.S. EPA registration.
An amendment to
take effect on July 1, 2016 will require any school staff who apply
pesticides to attend an IPM training course. The training courses
approved by the DPR will be listed on the DPR School IPM website no later than spring of 2016. Regarding
the practical implications of these new amendments, Rob Corley, field
representative for the state Department of Education who covers Monterey
County, said, "The real effect in January ... means that school
districts will have to start taking much better records of all the
pesticides and regulated ingredients they use." For more information on
the new regulations and resources like School IPM plan templates and
pesticide reporting forms, visit the DPR School IPM website.
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Building a School IPM Team A
successful school IPM program is supported by a team that includes all
school employees, students and parents who each play a specific role.
Education and Communication
Although
some responsibilities are shared throughout the team, such as reporting
any signs of a pest and being aware of the school IPM Policy, specific
elements of the IPM program are unique to individual team members.
Ryan Davis, an arthropod diagnostician at Utah State University
Extension shared his experience with teaching school staff about IPM
roles. "Often, when I would talk with school personnel from nutrition,
nursing, administration, faculty, etc., they would immediately want to
pass me on to the next person, usually someone from custodial or
maintenance, because they are thought to handle pest control. As School
IPM Program Coordinators, changing the minds of a (school) culture is
one of our most difficult, but most important tasks. After receiving
training these individuals universally agree that they have a role in
keeping their schools pest free, no matter how large or small that role
might be. A little education goes a long way. When you empower members
of the school community by teaching them the importance of their
individual roles in an IPM program, people want to help and it gives
them a vested interest in seeing their program succeed." To view a list
of school role responsibilities, compiled from school IPM programs
across the country, click here .
School Role Training
The Stop School Pests - A National IPM Standard Training and Certificate Program
is designed to give school staff the opportunity to learn more about
their specific IPM responsibilities. Training material will be available
in online and downloadable format, accompanied with an exam/quiz if the
participant is interested in receiving a certificate/certification.
Stop School Pests is still in need of individuals to review developed
training materials. Please contact Mariel Snyder if you are interested in participating!
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