National School IPM
Information for Pest Managers
As a pest manager, how do I get IPM implemented into schools?
As a pest manager, you may find Integrated Pest Management (IPM) a viable option as an alternative to traditional pest control. If you are currently servicing schools, day care centers, or city/county government facilities, and are not using IPM, you should consider the advantages of the IPM concept. If you are well trained in the practice of IPM and wish to begin implementing it into some facilities, the following information may be helpful. If the concept of IPM is new to you, the following five-step process is essential to implementing IPM into schools and public buildings.
- Educate Yourself About IPM.
[If you feel that you are already properly trained in providing IPM you may want to advance to step 2.] If you are not already trained in the techniques and materials involved with an IPM program, this will be the most crucial step. There are many sources available to you. This web site contains good technical information regarding IPM methods and materials. Also, there are educational presentations located on this web site which provide additional descriptions of typical IPM procedures. However, this web site should just be a beginning. Your local regulatory agency and the Cooperative Extension Service are also good places to get additional information. In addition to those sources, many manufacturers also supply technical bulletins and documents with their products which describe IPM techniques and application methods. Lastly, several professional texts are available which cover in great detail the ins and outs of IPM. Check the " Other Resources" section of this web site for a complete listing.
- Schedule a Meeting with School Administrators.
In most schools the administrators are very busy and have little time to spare for building operations and maintenance. However, administrators are very interested in issues concerning the safety of students and staff. No one wants a student or staff member to be stung, bitten, or otherwise harmed by pests or exposed to unnecessary pesticides. Addressed in this manner, the issue of School IPM quickly gets attention and gain endorsement from administrators. [At this point "in-house" pest management staff can go on to step 3, private contractors should continue reading.] After discussing IPM with school board members or school principals, you will probably be directed to the individual responsible for outsourcing services for the School District as a whole, the purchasing agent or purchasing officer. This mechanism may vary however, as some districts allow the individual schools to outsource certain services independently.
When discussing the issue of IPM with the purchasing agent you should alert the agent that an IPM program is a very different method of controlling pests than traditional pest control and therefore requires very different contract language. Within this web site are guidelines for purchasing agents when constructing IPM contracts. While these guidelines are not suitable to every situation, they provide a good outline for a workable IPM contract within a school district. You may even wish to provide the purchasing agent with a copy. An additional source available to purchasing agents is the United States General Services Administration, Building Services Group in Washington D.C. Also see step 3 below.
- Volunteer to organize an IPM Advisory Committee.
The creation of an IPM Advisory Committee is an essential step in getting a successful IPM program implemented in a school. Again, depending on the school district, this committee may be district-wide or include just a single school. If you have already established working relationships with the School Board or the school principals you should easily obtain approval for this step. However, don't forget to stress that a School IPM Advisory Committee should be made up of volunteers from several areas. These include: the PTA, one or two members of the school district's administration, local health department, building services department or facilities department, county extension service, pest control industry, sanitation services, IPM coordinator [if such exists with the school or county administration], and any other interested group.
It is through this committee that many of the details of the IPM program design can be developed. Concerns about which pesticides to be used, when applications are to be conducted, and so on should first be discussed by this committee then relayed to the purchasing agent and/or the IPM coordinator, if the school has established this position. Much of the work for this committee will be to educate members of the faculty, staff, students, and parents about the concept of IPM and the advantages associated with its implementation.
It may be appropriate at this time to discuss current pest control techniques being used in the school.
If pest management is being conducted by in-house personnel, a manager or supervisor of that staff should be included as a member of the IPM Advisory Committee. As a result, any recommendations made by the School IPM Advisory Committee can be rapidly communicated to the pest management staff. Also any issues from the pest management staff can be quickly brought before the advisory committee.
If pest control is currently being conducted by a private pest control operator, it is very important that recommendations from the IPM Advisory Committee are passed onto both the purchasing agent and the pest control operator. If recommendations from the Advisory Committee are viewed as outside of the scope of service provided by the pest control operator, these recommendations should be adequately detailed and given to the purchasing agent to consider incorporating into the next pest control contract to be bid out. However, some of the recommendations may be easily implemented as part of the existing contract.
- Establish a Pilot IPM Program.
To make the change to IPM as smooth and successful as possible, consider implementing IPM at one specific location in your school district for a trial period. A trial could consist of switching several schools over to IPM, switching just one entire school, or just a few isolated structures (i.e. the media center and administration wing, if combined) at one school. Remember, IPM is a process. In order for an IPM trial to be successful, a period up to one year may be necessary. Any effort to establish a pilot IPM program should first be approved by the IPM Advisory Committee.
- Set up Communication Links.
[This step is a follow up to step number three.] For IPM to be implemented successfully, a number of individuals will have to put forth some effort. All of the individuals mentioned above have an important role in establishing IPM and they must be involved. However, there are others who can provide valuable assistance to the School IPM Advisory Committee. Among these are administrators and other staff from districts which are already using IPM. Contacting the principals, school staff, cooperative extension agents, and pest management staff from a neighboring school or district which currently uses IPM can be very helpful. Those individuals may have already solved many of the problems which you will encounter. The more experience you bring into the discussions on IPM within your school district, the greater the chances it will succeed.
