Background
The Act to Protect Children and Families From Harmful Pesticides require that every school in Massachusetts adopt and develop an IPM plan. For those who are not sure where and how to begin, this document provides you with the basics to go ahead and prepare an IPM plan for your school. In addition, a companion guidance document has been developed to help you too.
The development of an IPM plan for your school is not meant to be an overwhelming or a futile exercise. Remember, your IPM goal is better pest control and reduced risk from the use of pesticides.
Essentially, the IPM plan is little more than an overview of how your school will implement IPM. The key to writing your IPM plan will involve looking and thinking about your school in a different way focusing more on building conditions and the occupants compared to the pest itself. In other words, your IPM plan should be a blueprint of how your school will prevent and minimize food, water, and environmental conditions required for pest survival.
On paper, your school IPM plan states what your school is trying to accomplish regarding pests and the use of pesticides. Your IPM plan reflects your school's site-specific needs. Your plan will vary from other schools. Finally, your plan will be a working document and should be updated every three months or annually at a minimum to reflect changes in actual IPM practices.
Follow the outline below and you are on your way to submitting an IPM plan that is specific to your school. Note: Your IPM plans are only one part of compliance. Be sure to be familiar with all other requirements of the law such as posting, notification etc.
Your IPM plan(s) must be:
| 1. | School or Site-Specific |
| 2. | E-mail to SIPM-Plans@mass.gov as both a separate indoor and outdoor plan |
| 3. | A working document and be updated annually |
Note: The Department's mailing address is Department of Agricultural Resources - Division of Crop and Pest Services, 5th floor, 251 Causeway Street, Boston, MA 02114-2151 for schools unable to submit IPM Plans electronically.
Your school IPM plan(s) should include the following components.
| 1. | General school information |
| 2. | The Name and Title of your school IPM Coordinator |
| 3. | The Name and Titles of your school IPM Committee |
| 4. | School IPM Policy or Statement |
| 5. | Identification and description of your school pest problem(s) |
| 6. | Description of your school IPM Information Flow (communication strategy) and Training Format |
| 7. | A listing of Chemical Pesticide(s) applied on school property |
| 8. | A listing of Non-Chemical actions taken on school property |
| 9. | Evaluation of your school IPM program |
| 10. | A description of the location of your school IPM plan and records |