3524.1 3524.1Business/Non-Instructional Operations
Hazardous Material in Schools
Pest Management/Pesticide Application
The Board of Education believes that structural and landscape pests can pose significant hazards to people, property and the environment. Pests are living organisms such as plants, animals or microorganisms, that interfere with human uses for the school site. Strategies for managing pest populations will be influenced by the pest species and the degree to which that population poses a threat to people, property or the environment. Further, the Board also believes that pesticides can also pose hazards to people, property and the environment. The intent of this policy is to ensure the health and safety of students, teachers, staff and all others using district buildings and grounds.
The goal of this pest management program is to manage pests in order to:
Reduce any potential human health hazard and/or to protect against a significant threat to public safety;
Prevent loss or damage to school structures or property;
Prevent pests from spreading in the community or to plant and animal populations beyond the site;
Enhance the quality of life and to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for students, staff and others.
The school district shall incorporate Integrated Pest Management procedures (IPM) to manage structural and landscape pests and the toxic chemicals for their control in order to alleviate pest problems with the least possible hazard to people, property and the environment. In addition, staff, students and the public shall be educated, at least annually, about potential school pest problems and the IPM policies and procedures to be used to achieve the desired pest management objectives. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the coordinated use of pest and environmental information with available pest control methods to prevent unacceptable levels of pest damage by the most economical means with the least possible hazard.
In determining when to control pests and whether to use mechanical, physical, chemical, cultural or biological means, the District shall follow the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The Superintendent or his/her designee shall ensure that the District follows Integrated Pest Management procedures so as to use the most appropriate and least toxic method of control.
IPM Plan General Pest and Rodent Control
IPM is defined as the use of all available pest control techniques including judicious use of pesticides when warranted, to maintain pest populations at or below an acceptable level while decreasing the unnecessary use of pesticides.
The primary goal is to reduce the amounts of pesticides applied by using alternative methods of pest control which may include structural maintenance, sanitation, and mechanical or biological control. These methods will help to eliminate conditions that are favorable to pest infestation, making their survival more difficult.
To accomplish this goal, the school system will retain the services of two certified pest control supervisors from the Pesticide Company hired by the system in accordance with State Statutes Sec. 22A-54. This responsibility will be assigned to the Director of Operations, and in his absence or under his direction, the representative from the Pesticide Company will assume this duty. Upon detection of a possible pest infestation, the pest control supervisor will make a visual inspection of the area or areas and make a determination of which type of pest control measure is to be employed.
The first lire of response will be bait traps, proper cleaning methods, and elimination of conditions which might promote pest infestation. Should the pest control supervisor determine the necessity of using pesticides, the services of an outside professional, licensed pest control applicator will be retained. No pesticide application will be permitted while school is in session or during a planned activity except in emergency situations as defined by State Statute Sec. 22A-47. A copy of the school system's IPM plan will be made available to the professional pest control applicator whose responsibility will be to provide written notification on a system form of the following:
A. Date and time of application.
B. Type of pest being controlled.
C. Type and quantity, method, and residual effect of any pesticide being used.
D. Possible remedies that could be employed to minimize the need of pesticides.
E. Confirm that he is aware of, and will follow procedures as outlined in 22A-66A of the general statutes dealing with public notification.
F. Name, CT License number, and signature.
This notification must be presented before any application takes place. Upon receipt of this notification, the Building Principal will employ the necessary notification process as outlined in this plan. A record of each application will be retained in the main office of each school for a minimum of five years.
Procedures shall include the following:
1. The choice of using a pesticide will be based on a review of all other available options and a determination that these options are not acceptable or not feasible. The full range of alternatives, including no action, will be taken.
2. Selected non-chemical pest management methods will be used whenever possible to provide the desired control. Cost or staffing considerations alone will not be adequate justification for use of chemical control agents.
3. The pest and the site of infestation shall be carefully identified. Strategies for managing the pest will be influenced by the pest species and whether that species poses a threat to people, property or the environment.
4. When it is determined that a pesticide must be used, the least hazardous material will be chosen and applied in accordance with EPA registered label directions.
5. Staff, students and parents/guardians shall receive information about the District's Integrated Pest Management policy and procedures and notification of any upcoming pesticide treatments. Notice of upcoming pesticide treatments shall also be posted in areas designated by the Superintendent or his/her designee.
6. The following records shall be maintained at each school site:
A. Records of pesticide use at the site for a period of five years.
B. Pest surveillance data sheets that record the number of pests or other indicators of pest populations that verify the need for treatments.
7. Sanitary measures shall be enforced and buildings regularly cleaned and repaired in order to prevent infestations, minimize the use of pesticides and to eliminate routine spraying.
8. An emergency application of pesticides is defined as when an application of pesticides is necessary to eliminate an immediate threat to human health and where it is impractical to obtain the services of a certified pesticide applicator provided such emergency application does not involve a restricted use pesticide as defined in CGS 22a-47. Restricted use pesticides may be used only by certified applicators or under their direct supervision. (Note: Restricted use pesticides, classified by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency or the DEP are those which may present a hazard to the applicator or other people by reason of acute dermal or inhalation toxicity or which may have an unreasonable adverse effect on the environment.
9. On or after July 1, 2000, at the beginning of each school year, the Board of Education shall provide the staff of each school and the parents/guardians of each child enrolled in each school with written guidelines on how the integrated pest management plan is to be implemented and shall provide the parents or guardians of each child enrolled in each school with a statement that shall include a summary of the integrated pest management plan for the school. Such statements and descriptions shall also be provided to the parents/guardians of any child who transfers to a school during the school year.
10. The aforementioned required statement shall indicate to staff, parents and guardians that they may register for prior notice of school pesticide applications. Further, the emergency notification procedures to be used will be described.
11. On or after July 1, 2000, parents/guardians and staff may register for prior notice of pesticide applications. Each school shall maintain a registry of persons requesting such notice. Prior to the application of pesticides within any building or on school grounds, persons who have registered for prior notice shall be notified by any means practicable on or before the day that any application of pesticide is to take place at a school.
12. The aforementioned notice shall include the (1) name of the active ingredient of the pesticide to be applied, (2) location of the application, (3) date of application, (4) the name of the school administrator or his/her designee who may be contacted for further information.
13. No application of pesticide, after July 1, 2000, may be made in any building or on school grounds during regular school hours or during planned activities at the school except for an emergency application.
14. If an emergency application is necessary to eliminate an immediate threat to human health, such application shall not involve a restricted use pesticide and no child may enter the area of such application until it is safe to do so according to the provisions on the pesticide label.
15. In cases of emergency application, effective July 1, 2000, prior notice is not necessary except that on or before the day the application is to take place prior notice is given to those persons who have previously requested such notice.
Policy adopted: August 21, 2000