Agricultural Resources Center (NC)

Alaska Community Action on Toxics

Beyond Pesticides

California Safe Schools

Californians for Pesticide Reform

Center for Health, Environment and Justice

Environment and Human Health (CT)

Environment California

Healthy Schools Network

Improving Kids' Environment (IN)

IPM Institute of North America

Kids for Saving Earth/
MN Children's Health Environment Coalition

LocalMotion (MI)

Maryland Pesticide Network

Mississippi 2020 Network

New Jersey Environmental Federation

New York Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides

Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (OR)

Pennsylvania Clean Water Action

Safer Pest Control Project (IL)

Texans for Alternatives to Pesticides

Toxics Action Center (MA)

Vermont Public Interest Research Group

Virginia Health and Environment Project

Washington Toxics Coalition

What You Can Do

Get Your School To Adopt Safer Pest Management Practices

School community members and activists, school policy decision makers, and school pest management practitioners all play vital roles in the adoption of an effective IPM program. Take the information on this website and the resources available through the Coalition members to advocate for a safer school pest management program, such as an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, or to improve the school's existing program.

Changing a school's pest management program requires perseverance. Since pest control is not often a large part of the school's budget, many administrators do not consider it a focus and are likely to be uninformed about their school's policy and any available alternatives. Work with your school to stop using hazardous pesticides and adopt safer solutions and practices that have been adopted in schools across the country. While the alternatives are being put in place, ask the school to provide staff and parents with prior notice before pesticides are used.

Whether you are a parent, community activist, pest manager/pest control operator, or school administrator or employee, the following outlines the steps leading to the adoption of a successful school IPM program. The organizations that are members of the Coalition can provide assistance throughout the process. If an organization is not listed in your state, please contact Beyond Pesticides.

Identify the School's Pest Management Policy
The first step is to identify whether there are applicable state and local policies concerning school pesticide use and/or IPM and to find out who administers the pest control program - the school, the school system or a contractor. Contact the appropriate school personnel to find out if and how the applicable policies are being implemented by identifying what pest management controls the school is using, the pesticides used, and the notification program.

Educate Yourself and Evaluate the Program
Gather information on the hazards of pesticide exposure and the increased susceptibility of children to the health effects of pesticides. Learn about IPM and what alternatives to chemical pest control methods are available. Identify additional steps that the school should be taking to protect children from pesticides and implement a successful IPM program.

Organize the School Community
Identify and contact friends and neighbors, individuals, and organizations who care about or are affected by school pesticide use, including parents, students, teachers, school staff and board members, unions, doctors, environmentalists, local PTAs, outdoor clubs, and religious institutions. Develop and present a proposed IPM policy for adoption by the school or school district. PTA meetings are an excellent forum to arouse interest and encourage parents, teachers, and students to develop a pilot IPM project in their school. Create a district-wide workshop for pest managers, discussing IPM strategies and methods.

Work with School Decision-Makers
Contact appropriate school officials and ask for endorsement and passage of the proposed IPM policy. Provide them with information on the hazards of the chemicals currently being used and on safer alternative strategies. It is important that an IPM program include a written policy adopted by the school district's board. This will ensure the program is institutionalized and will not revert back to a conventional program after the key activists, parent or school staff person leave the district.

Become a Watchdog and Establish an IPM Committee
Make sure the school district is on track to improve its practices. The same individuals, organizations, and staff members that were instrumental in getting the school to adopt the policy must also watchdog the school to make sure it is successfully implemented. Creating an IPM committee to oversee the program can be one way to ensure program implementation. Committee members should include parents, students (if age appropriate), teachers, school administrators, facilities, food service and landscape staff, any pest control company contracted by the school, and community environmental and public health organizations. The committee's main purpose is to assist with the development of implementation guidelines and recommend non-toxic and least hazardous strategies for pest management.

For more details on each of these steps, see School Organizing for Safer Pest Management.