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NASBE Journal Highlights Green Cleaning 

Ten states now have laws or policies regarding green cleaning in schools. The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) highlights these state actions and many other facets of green cleaning and healthy school buildings in the February 2012 edition of its journal, the State Education Standard. Articles cover the "whys" and "hows" of green cleaning, benefits for students and staff, case studies from three districts implementing green cleaning, policy development and potential cost savings. Individual articles can be downloaded from NASBE, or the full journal can be purchased through NASBE's website for $10.00.   

Oregon Joins States with School IPM Mandates 

Private and public K-12 schools and community colleges in Oregon must comply with a new law mandating IPM. The law goes into effect July 1, 2012.

To support the transition, the School IPM Program at Oregon State University (OSU) developed a brochure, IPM in Oregon Schools, which was distributed to principals in all Oregon public schools. Additionally, the Oregon Department of Agriculture published Pesticides and the Oregon IPM in Schools Law explaining the new requirements.

The law requires districts to designate an IPM coordinator who must complete six hours of training each year. OSU received funding from the US EPA Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program to develop a training curriculum, and work with at least ten school districts to train coordinators and develop required IPM plans. Training sessions were held in October and February for more than 30 districts with additional trainings scheduled. Tim Stock, OSU IPM education specialist and school IPM program coordinator, says his most frequently answered questions include law basics including how to set up an IPM plan.

OSU developed a model IPM plan that meets the mandate including protocols for regular monitoring and inspections to detect pests and notification of pesticide applications. Pesticide application records must be kept for four years, including copies of product labels and MSDS, product name and EPA registration number, amount used and location.

Schools may only use "low-impact" pesticides, those which do not have a "Danger" or "Warning" signal word indicating higher toxicity to mammals, and are not classified as a known or probable human carcinogen by US EPA. Additionally, only properly licensed pesticide applicators are allowed to apply pesticides in schools.

Initiating a required monitoring program will be a big change for many schools, says Stock, but will pay off in the long run. The use of sticky traps in kitchens, cafeterias and other pest vulnerable areas provides vital information about the type and amount of pests in each area.

A number of school districts meet or exceed the new mandate. Vonnie Good, environmental safety specialist for Salem-Keizer School District, introduced IPM to her district more than ten years ago. According to Good, IPM was a logical choice because, "We wanted to keep pesticides out of the environment, but we also wanted to keep the pests out." She fears staffing cuts will lead to challenges. "When you have a lot of buildings to service, reduced man power becomes a big problem," says Good. Salem-Keizer SD encompasses 40,000 students in 70 schools and has participated in a USDA E-IPM-funded pilot project with OSU for the past two years.

OSU is working with the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) to create pilot programs with Bethel and Beaverton school districts. "With or without laws, it's important to have model districts to show what a successful IPM program looks like," comments Stock. Aimee Code with NCAP adds that, "Some school districts are daunted by having to create IPM policies. The model school districts act as leaders, able to help their peers and also simply to show that it is both possible and preferable to use IPM." Stock plans to start new pilots in smaller districts in the near future. "Many districts in our state have three or fewer schools,” says Stock. “They will implement IPM differently than larger schools."

NCAP and OSU also secured funding from the Western IPM Center to create video curriculum on house mouse control in schools. According to an OSU survey of schools, mice are the top reported public health pest. The short videos will cover key components of mouse control including the biology and habits of mice; sanitary and exclusionary measures to prevent mouse infestations; proper trap setting techniques to control mice; and how to properly dispose of dead mice.

OSU is working with the Oregon Pest Control Association to inform its members about the law. Stock has presented to multiple stakeholders including the Oregon School Boards Association and the Oregon School Safety Officers Association. He will present at the Oregon School Facilities Management Training workshop in April and is currently developing training for school nurses on IPM and asthma.

IPM and Green Cleaning in Tribal Schools 

On February 1, US EPA Region 8 hosted "Integrated Pest Management & Green Cleaning in Schools," the third webinar in the six-part series "Clean, Green and Healthy Tribal Schools." Mike Daniels, consultant for Native IPM LLC, noted that many tribal schools use pesticides on a regular basis, regardless of pest presence. He stressed the importance of IPM in schools because of children's greater susceptibility to harm from chemical exposure and the substantial amount of time students spend in school including frequent use of schools for sporting events or other activities.

According to Daniels, "The problem with pesticide use is often misuse leading to unintentional exposure." For example, rodenticide pellets can look like candy to children and should never be used in areas accessible to children. Using IPM including improved sanitation, exclusion and monitoring can reduce pest problems and the need for pesticides. Monroe County Community Schools in Bloomington, Indiana experienced a 35% reduction in pest management costs and a 90% reduction in pesticide applications after switching to IPM.

Pest identification is a vital part of IPM because of differences in pest behaviors. Daniels described four types of flying insects that look similar but act very differently. The syrphid fly looks like a bee but does not sting. Yellow jackets, honey bees and paper wasps also look similar to each other, but require different management methods. Introduced wasp species like paper wasps, for example, do not respond to pheromone traps.

Marie Zanowick of the US EPA discussed benefits and tips for green cleaning. To reduce risk to custodial workers and others, schools should transition to third-party certified cleaners including hand soaps. Cleaning equipment should be updated as needed to make best use of the new products, and should be well-maintained.

Zanowick suggested working closely with school custodial staff when switching to a green cleaning program to ensure they understand the rationale and are trained on effective use. Schools should consider gradually phasing in new products, piloting no more than one or two products at a time. More tips about green cleaning can be found at the Peaks to Prairies program and US EPA Tools for Schools.

Future webinars in this series will take place each Wednesday through February 22 and cover indoor air quality, and energy and water conservation.

Effective IPM for Bed Bugs and Lice in the Educational Environment Webcast  

Few pest problems cause as much concern and anxiety for students, parents, instructors and staff as the presence of bed bugs and lice.

Inspection, prevention and immediate intervention are the keys to avoiding costly and troublesome infestations of these unwanted pests, which present special challenges that should be addressed with targeted IPM initiatives to ensure a healthy learning environment.

Join an interactive, 75-minute webcast to hear IPM experts discuss best practices for performing regular inspections and preventive measures to reduce contributing factors for bed bugs and lice, as well as proven methods for responding to and eliminating infestations. You'll also learn how to improve the success of your IPM initiatives for bed bugs and lice by scheduling and tracking inspections as part of a preventive maintenance program. 

Effective Integrated Pest Management for Bed Bugs and Lice in the Educational Environment
Wednesday, February 22
12:00pm-1:15pm EST

The webinar will cover IPM standards and proven best practices that will help you:

• Identify, monitor and manage bed bugs, lice and other pests in schools
• Improve precautionary measures
• Prevent an infestation problem
• Improve pest management with less pesticide use and no increase in cost
• Establish preventive maintenance activities to manage pest problems long-term
• Educate instructors, administrators, maintenance/custodial staff, and students

Register now! 

Presenters are:

• Dr. Thomas Green: President - IPM Institute  
• Wayne Walker: Senior Pest Control Technician - University of Florida
• Roger Young: Executive Director  - Facility Masters / K12Masters.com 
• Justin Turner: Applications Specialist - SchoolDude.com

This is a webcast you can't afford to miss!  Can't join us on 2/22? Register anyway and receive the webcast recording via email.

This Facility Masters webcast is sponsored by SchoolDude. Visit School Dude Resources for additional resources on improving operations, maintenance and preventive maintenance.