Protecting children

When trying to control pests, schools must take extra steps to keep from harming the other little ones buzzing around the playgrounds and classrooms: our children. A new resource center is now available to teach schools how to control pests and reduce the risk posed by pesticides.

The Southwestern Technical Resource Center for IPM in Schools and Daycare Centers is dedicated to keeping schools clean and safe for kids. The center is located at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center at Dallas, and it serves as a clearinghouse for all IPM in Schools resources, such as posters, videos, books, and training programs for schools and daycare centers in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

"Our kids deserve to be protected from, both pests and unnecessary pesticide exposure," said Dr. Mike Merchant, urban entomologist at the Texas A&M Center at Dallas. "Unfortunately, public schools are not immune to the disease risks from pests, especially in food service areas. And new studies are showing high incidences of allergies and asthma in young children caused by insects."

However, the wholesale use of pesticides in schools isn't good for students, either. To protect schoolchildren, the Texas Legislature passed a law in the early 1990's requiring that IPM practices be used to manage pests in and around school facilities. Some school districts are doing a good job of implementing IPM, but according to a 1999 report by the Texas Pesticide Information Network, many schools are not making the grade. This is likely because some schools lack knowledge or personnel trained in IPM.

The center's first assignment was to create a Web site, set up an informational toll-free phone number, and establish a program to recognize schools that excel in implementing IPM programs. Texas Cooperative Extension has developed several educational resources that are now available through the center.

One resource is a five-part video series, "ABCs of IPM," which was created to help Texas schools implement IPM. The videos are designed for different audiences, including parents and community; maintenance and pest control staff; administrators; and fiscal officers responsible for pest control contracts. Schools all over the country, including schools in Minnesota, Arizona, California, and Pennsylvania, have been clamoring for the series, buying more than 1,700 tapes last year.

The center has been funded by a $l00,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Training programs and educational resources available through the new center will help keep playgrounds and classrooms safe from bullying pests for years to come.

The Texas IPM Foundation works with Texas Cooperative Extension to emphasize the importance of implementation of sound IPM principles in Texas schools. After all, our children are our greatest resource.