The New Jersey School Integrated Pest Management Act of 2002 (SIPMA) requires school districts to implement a school integrated pest management policy that includes an integrated Pest Management Plan( IPMC). In accordance with the requirements of the Act, the board shall ensure implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) procedures to control pests and minimize exposure of children, faculty, and staff to pesticides. Theses procedures shall be applicable to all school property in the Vineland School District.
The Executive Director of Facilities shall be designated as the district’s Integrated Pest Management Coordinator (IMPC) and is responsible for the implementation of the policy.
Implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) procedures will determine when to control pests and whether to use mechanical, physical cultural, biological, or chemical methods. Applying IPM principles prevents unacceptable levels of pest damage by the most economical means and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.
The Integrated Pest Management Coordinator (IPMC) shall consider the full range of management options, including no action at all. Non-pesticide pest management methods are to be used whenever possible. The choice of using a pesticide shall be based on a review of all available options and a determination that these options are not effective or not reasonable. When it is determined that a pesticide must be used, low impact pesticides and methods are preferred and shall be considered for use first.
The superintendent, in collaboration with the School Building Principal(s) and the IPMC, shall be responsible for the development of the IPM plan for the school district. The school district's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plan is a blueprint of how the school district will manage pest through IPM methods. The school district's IPM plan will state the school district's goals regarding the management of pests and the use of pesticides for all school district property. The Plan will reflect the schools district's site-specific needs and Integrated Pest Management Policy and Regulation will be Implemented for all school property.
The school community will be educated about potential pest problems and IPM methods used to achieve the pest management objectives. The IPMC, other school staff, and pesticide applicators involved with implementation of the district's IPM policy will be trained in appropriate components of IPM as it pertains to the school events. Students and parent/ legal guardians will be provided information on this policy and instructed on how they can contribute to the success of the IPM program.
Records of pesticide use shall be maintained on site to meet the requirements of the State regulatory agency and the Board. Records shall also include, but are not limited to, pest surveillance data sheets and other non-pesticide pest management methods and practices utilized.
The Building Principal of each school, working with the IPMC, is responsible for timely notification to students, parents or legal guardians and school staff of pesticide treatments pursuant to regulations.
Re-entry to a pesticide treated area shall conform to the requirements of the SIPMA.
The IPMC shall ensure that applicators follow State regulations, including licensing requirements and label precautions, and must comply with all components of the pest management policy.
The superintendent of his designee will report annually to the Board on the effectiveness of the IPM Plan and make recommendations for improvement as needed.
The district's Integrated Pest Management Plan, Policy and Regulation required implementation by June, 2004. The Board directs the Superintendent to develop Regulations/ Procedures for the SIPMA implementation.
Maintain information about individual schools, the school district's Integrated Pest Management Policy, and about pesticide applications on the school property of the schools within the school district;
Act as a contact for inquiries about the School Integrated Pest Management policy; and
Maintain material safety data sheets, when available, and labels for all pesticides that are used on the school property or in schools in the district.
The IPMC shall request for the pesticide applicator and shall maintain records of pesticide applications used on school property or each school in the school district for three years after the application, and for five years after the application of a pesticide designed to control termites, and on request, shall make the data available to the public for review.
A notice of the school district's Integrated Pest Management policy shall be included in school calendars or another form of universal notification to pupils and parent(s) or legal guardian(s). the notice shall include: the school district's Integrated Pest Management Policy; a list of any pesticide that is in use or that has been used in the last twelve months on school district property at each school location; the name, address, and telephone number of the Integrated Pest management Coordinator of (IPMC) the school district: Wayne Weaver, Executive Director of Facilities -c/o Vineland Public Schools-625 Plum Street-Vineland, NJ 08360; a statement that;
a. the IPMC maintains the product label and material safety data sheet, when available, of each pesticide that may be used on school property;
b. the label an data sheet is available for review by a parent, legal guardian, staff member, or student attending the school; and
c. the Integrated Pest Management Coordinator (IPMC) is available to parents, legal guardians, and staff members for information and comment.
d. the time and place of any Board meetings that will be held to adopt the SIPMA Management policy; and
e. the Following Statement: "As part of a school pest management plan, the School District may use pesticides to control pest. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) register pesticides to determine that the use of a pesticide in accordance with instructions printed on the label does not pose an unreasonable risk to human health and the environment. Nevertheless, the EPA and DEP cannot guarantee that registered pesticides do not pose any risk to human health, thus unnecessary exposure to pesticides should be avoided. The EPA has issued the statement that where possible, persons who are potentially sensitive, such as pregnant women, infants and children, should avoid unnecessary pesticide exposure."
After the beginning of each school year, the IPMC, in conjunction with the Building Principal(s), shall provide this notice to each new staff member who employed during the school year and to the parents(s) or legal guardian(s) of each new student enrolled during the school year.
If it is determined that a pesticides, other than a low impact pesticide, must be used on school property, the pesticide may be used only in accordance with the requirements on N.J.S.A. 13:1F-25.
The principal, upon prior notice from the IPMC, shall provide notice to a parent or legal guardian of each student enrolled at the school and each staff member of the school, last least seventy- two hours before a pesticide, other than low impact pesticide, is used on school property. The notice shall include:
a. the common name, trade name, and federal EPA number of the pesticide;
b. a description of the location of the application of the pesticide;
c. the data and time of application, except that, in the case of outdoor pesticide applications, one notice shall include three dates, in chronological order, on which the outdoor pesticide applications may take place if the preceding date is cancelled;
d. a statement that the Office of Pesticide Programs of the United States Environmental Protection Agency has stated:
“Where possible, persons who potentially are sensitive, such as pregnant women, infants, and children, should avoid any unnecessary pesticide exposure:”