• Everyone Breathe™ announces asthma education grants for parents and schools to invest in asthma education.  More information 
   
• Northeastern IPM Center promotes school IPM on a budget 
   
• IPM Cubed is offering six distance education courses in fall 2011 and winter 2012 on various IPM topics.  More information

• Join the Schoolbugs listserv to ask questions, learn from others and share successes and challenges  

Fort Drum Receives IPM STAR Certification 

 The Child, Youth and School Services (CYS) program at New York's Fort Drum recently earned IPM STAR Certification, the nation's most exclusive honor for excellence in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in schools. IPM STAR uses a rigorous, 48-point on-site evaluation of policies, practices and conditions to verify performance.

IPM is a common sense approach to reducing pest problems, focusing on eliminating conditions that lead to pest problems. Like people, pests need food, water and shelter. Using door sweeps to seal the gap between exterior doors and the door sill, and regular detailed cleaning in food service areas, including floor drains and hard-to-reach areas, are key strategies.

The Department of Defense, including Fort Drum, has a strong commitment to IPM. A 1993 directive was issued calling for a reduction in the total pounds of pesticides used by the military by 50% by 2003. This goal was exceeded, with an overall reduction of 59% by 2004. Fort Drum is the 46^th children's facility and the 17^th U.S. Army campus to become IPM STAR Certified.

These accomplishments are a tribute to the abilities of professional staff including Mr. Larry LeRoy, Fort Drum's IPM coordinator, Ms. Karin Sikirica, who directs the CYS program, and the many professionals who work in and around the program's nine centers, serving as many as 9,000 children every year.

As part of their certification process, Mr. LeRoy is working to formalize a policy to ensure a thorough review of all new construction and renovation, including landscaping, to eliminate pest-friendly design features such as bird roosts or rodent habitat.

IPM STAR is operated by the IPM Institute of North America, an independent non-profit organization. The program was developed with support from the USDA IPM Program and the US EPA Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program. Support for IPM STAR in the US Army Child and Youth Services Program is provided by the US Army Installation Management Command/ Family Morale Welfare Recreation Command and the US Environmental Protection Agency. The effort is being implemented by the US Army Center for Health Promotion Preventive Medicine and coordinated with the US Army Environmental Command and the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management. More than two million children have benefited from reductions in pest problems and pesticide use under IPM STAR since 2003.

University of Florida School IPM Newsletter 

Since 2010, the University of Florida has published brief monthly school IPM newsletters. Recent topics have included legislation, bed bugs, head lice, rodents, IPM training, landscaping and IPM certification for pest management professionals. The July 2011 newsletter highlights strategies that school personnel can use to communicate with their neighbors and their community.

For a directory of past newsletters, please visit UFL's school IPM website at: http://schoolipm.ifas.ufl.edu/Florida/newsletter.htm   

New Resources for School IPM Coalitions 

With support from the US EPA, the national school IPM steering committee recently developed documents to support regional coalitions. School IPM coalitions are designed as peer networks to spread IPM adoption throughout a region. Professionals already trained and working in schools recruit and mentor professionals from other school districts. The following coalition resources are now available to assist professionals in developing and maintaining coalitions: 

• Coalition Operating Manual: This six-page PDF explains the benefits and purpose of school IPM, provides suggestions for starting a coalition-including recruiting peers, gives tips on how to organize meetings and provides tools for continuing education and sustainability.
   
• Model Funding Resources for a School IPM Coalition: This document contains a sample list of model coalition budgets as well as potential sources for leveraging financial support.
     
• School IPM Coalition Memorandum of Understanding: A sample agreement between coalition leaders and members that explains roles, responsibilities and performance metrics for participating districts.