Integrated Pest Management Program

To ensure the health and safety concerns of student, staff, and community members, the District adopted an integrated pest management policy (IPM) which emphasizes the least possible risk to students, staff and community members and shall adopt a “go to” list of low-impact pesticides for use with the IPM policy.

Structural and landscape pests can pose significant problems in schools. Pests such as mice and cockroaches can trigger asthma, and mice, bats, and rats are vectors of disease. Many children are allergic to yellow jacket stings. The pesticides used to remediate these and other pests can also pose special health risks to children due in large part to their still developing organ systems.  

Integrated Pest Management (IMP):  

IPM is a process for achieving long-term, environmentally sound pest suppression through a wide variety of tactics. Control strategies in the IPM program include structural and procedural improvements to reduce the food, water, shelter and access needed by pests. IPM focuses on remediation of the fundamental reasons why pests are here. The program includes staff education about sanitation, monitoring and pest specific information; this education includes training in form of in person instruction, videos and fliers. It excludes the application of pesticides for purely aesthetic or routine purposes except other application of pesticides designed to attract or be consumed by pests. IPM gives preference to the use of non-chemical measures of pest control; however, IMP allows the use of low impact pesticides if non-chemical measures are deemed ineffective. Finally, if low impact pesticides are unsuccessful to mitigate said pest, an emergency may be declared by the District or a public health official to apply appropriate and necessary pesticide application(s).  
 

IPM Basics

Education and Communication: The foundation for an effective IPM program is education and communication. We need to know what conditions can cause pest problems, why and how to monitor for pests, proper identification, pest behavior and biology before we can begin to manage pests effectively. Communication about pest issues is essential. A protocol for reporting pests or pest conductive conditions and a record of what action was taken is the most important part of an effective IPM program.

Cultural & Sanitation: Knowing how human behavior encourages pests can help prevent them from becoming a problem. Small changes in cultural or sanitation practices at campuses can have significant effects on reducing pest populations. Cleaning under kitchen serving counters, reducing clutter in classrooms, putting dumpsters further from kitchen door/loading dock, proper irrigation scheduling, and over-seeding of turf areas are all examples of cultural and sanitation practices that can be employed to reduce pests.

Physical & Mechanical: Rodent traps, sticky monitoring traps for insects, door sweeps on external doors, sealing holes under sinks, proper drainage and mulching of landscapes, and keeping vegetation at least 24 inches from buildings are all examples of physical and mechanical control.

Pesticides: IPM focuses on remediation of the fundamental reasons why pests are here; pesticides should be rarely used and only when necessary

Follow-up: Evaluation, monitoring/effectiveness of treatment and pest presence.

Plan goals: To focus on the long-term successful prevention or suppression of pest problems through economically sound measures that:

• Protect the health and safety of students, staff and faculty;
• Protect the integrity of campus buildings and grounds;
• Maintain a productive learning environment; and
• Protect local ecosystem health

IPM Plan shall include the following:

1. Utilize the Levels of Pest Control
2. Building Envelope Strategies
3. Monitoring Pest Sightings
4. An IPM Coordinator or Designee
5. Provide Updated Training
6. Record Keeping

1. Levels of Control

2. Exclusion or Access Denial: prevent pests from entering. 

3. Habitat and Harbor-age Modification: create undesirable living conditions.

4. Mechanical and Physical Controls: use of traps, monitors, and physical removal.

5. Limited Pesticide use: only when threshold levels are exceeded.

6. Follow-up measures implemented.

7. Focus on the prevention of pest problems by working to reduce or eliminate conditions of property construction, operation and maintenance that promote or allow for the establishment, feeding, breeding and proliferation of pest populations or other conditions that are conducive to pests or that create harborage for pests per the following:

• Eliminate/reduce food in classrooms

• Eliminate points of entry 

• Install door sweeps

• Seal external opening points

• Keep vegetation at least three feet from building surfaces

• Proper lawn/field maintenance

Each year, all District buildings will be inspected. The findings from these annual inspections shall determine the frequency of follow-up. Including regular monitoring and inspections to detect pests, pest damage and unsanctioned pesticide usage. School staff, custodian, and kitchen staff will all have a role in reporting and sighting pests. There will be inspection sheets provided to assist with monitoring:

• Staff Role: Report to Custodian & Main Office

• Custodians Role: Report to Facilities & Work Order

• Kitchen Staff Role: Report to Custodian & Main Office

Evaluates the need for pest control by identifying acceptable pest population density levels.  The inspection sheets performed by the school staff will be submitted to the IPM Coordinators Melinda Shumaker, Amanda Wall, and Lana Young for review. These reviews will assist in determining the levels of pest that are acceptable in your school.

 

*School custodians will submit work orders if there is a pest control issue. In case of an emergency, the custodian or school staff is to contact Facility Operations as 503-353-6057.

G. Excludes the application of pesticides on a routine schedule for purely preventive purposes, other than applications of pesticides designed to attract or be consumed by pests.​

H. Excludes the application of pesticides for purely aesthetic purposes.​

I. Includes school staff education about sanitation, monitoring and inspection and about pest control measures:

• Custodial & Facilities Operations staff will be provided annual IPM program training.

• Principals will be provided annual training via IPM coordination team.

• Principals will provide training material to staff annually.

• Flyers will be provided for school newsletters when needed.

Gives preference to the use of non-chemical pest control measures;

Allows the use of low-impact pesticides if non-chemical pest control measures are ineffective; and

Allows the application of a pesticide that is not a low-impact pesticide only to mitigate a declared pest emergency or if the application is by, or at the direction or order of, a public health official.

Low Impact Pesticides List

When pest presence thresholds exceed the established limits and non-chemical pest control measures are deemed unsuccessful, low impact pesticide applications will be considered as a last resort. The District may exercise emergency level low impact pesticides to remedy the problem as necessary. These low impact pesticides must be part of a pre-approved list maintained by the District and they shall not have active labels signaling “Danger” or probable human carcinogen under the EPA risk guidelines. The Coordinator or designee will make pertinent effort to give 24- hour notice and post warning signs prior to the intended occupant/recipient of the pesticide application(s). The warning signage should remain up to 72-hours post pesticide application.  Pesticide information that is used at a school will need to be kept on file for four years (see IV. g.)

This prior application notice must contain the following information regarding the pesticide product:

1. Name identification
2. Trademark or type of product
3. Registration number
4. Description of the application area
5. Expected date of the application
6. Reason for the application

The District shall designate an Integrated Pest Management Plan Coordinator. The Coordinator is the key to successful IMP implementation in our school district, and is given the authority for overall implementation and evaluation of this plan. The Coordinator is responsible for the following: 

1. Attend a minimum of 6 hours training with regard to general review of IPM principles/requirements of 2009 act.

2. Conduct outreach to the school community through training with staff or providing informational flyers.

3. The Coordinator shall oversee pest prevention efforts and results, and employ the least invasive/hazardous strategies to people, property, and environment. 

4. Ensure identification and evaluation of pest situations.

5. Ensure appropriate prior notices are given and posted warnings have been placed when pesticide applications are scheduled.

6. Ensure the proper use and application of pesticide applications when non-pesticide controls have been unsuccessful.

7. Evaluate pest management results and procedures and training program. keep for at least four years following the application date, records of applied pesticides.

• A copy of the SDS
• The brand name and USEPA registration number of the product
• The approximate amount and concentration of product applied
• The location of the application
• The pest condition that prompted the application
• The type of application and whether the application proved effective
• The pesticide applicator’s license numbers and pesticide trainee or certificate numbers of the person applying the pesticide
• The name(s) of the person(s) applying the pesticide
• The dates on which notices of the application were given
• The dates and times for the placement and removal of warning signs
• Copies of all required notices given, including the dates the IPM Plan Coordinator gave the notices

*A copy of each one of these records will be sent to the District Facilities to be retained as record centrally or correlated with the facilities work order system. There will be a process in place for responding to inquiries and complaints about noncompliance with the integrated pest management plan  

Nuisance Ants

Products - Transport Mikron, Advion Ant Gel

Threshold - 20 or more ants in any given interior area within a 24-hour period

 

Carpenter Ants 

Products - Transport Mikron, Advion Ant Gel

Threshold - 10 or more ants on any exterior/interior areas of buildings within a 24-hour period

 

Bees, Wasps, Hornets

Products - Transport Mikron, Microcare, PT 565 Plus XLO

Threshold - Any nest or more than one in any given area

 

Rats and Mice

Products - Generation Mini Blocks

Threshold - One. Any sightings of rodents in any interior area

 

Cockroaches

Products - Advion Cockroach Gel, Transport, Gentrol

Threshold - Any more than one in any given interior area

 

Spiders

Products - Trasnsport Mikron

Threshold - Any more than 3 spiders in any given interior area, any more than 5 in any given exterior area