Happy Valley Union School District

When pesticides are used at schools and childcare centers in California, the Healthy Schools Act defines requirements for school and childcare center staff, pest management professionals, and the Department of Pesticide Regulation. The California Legislature originally passed the law in 2000. The Healthy Schools Act also encourages schools and childcare centers—collectively referred to as school sites—to adopt effective, low-risk pest management practices, also known as integrated pest management or IPM.

 

Integrated pest management, or IPM, focuses on effective, low-risk pest management practices. IPM is a big-picture approach to pest management that considers people and the environment when pest management decisions are made. There are a variety of IPM practices, including cleaning regularly, closing gaps into buildings, fixing leaky pipes, setting traps, and choosing low-risk pesticides. With the amount of IPM information available today and an enthusiastic IPM leader, all school sites can successfully manage pests!