Results/Publications

In Monroe County School System
Responses by Charles Underwood, Maintenance Supervisor, Monroe County School System.

What was the background information on the school and the existing situation before implementing the project?

We began our IPM program in the fall of 2000 at Tellico Elementary School in Tellico Plains. This is a K-4 school with about 425 students and 50 adult staff members. We started this program in order to accommodate a child who was unable to tolerate exposure to chemicals possibly due to suspected improper use of pesticides in her home. Before we began the IPM program, we were on a program where the entire school was sprayed on a monthly basis.

What actions were taken to implement IPM?

We went through a learning process at Tellico Elementary and therefore went above and beyond what we found was needed to implement a successful IPM program. At Tellico Elementary we stopped all eating in the classrooms and required teachers to take students to a designated area for snacks. We later found that this was not necessary if all trash was removed from the rooms on a daily basis. We stopped teachers from keeping treats for the children in the classrooms, but later we allowed this if the treats were kept in sealed containers. Tellico Elementary required very little modification to implement the program. We sealed all cracks, installed weather-stripping on outside doors and sealed around drains to prevent pest entry.

After our success at Tellico Elementary, we went countywide with IPM and are having excellent results. Monroe County’s average daily school attendance is 4,758. We have 11 school sites with 800,000 sq. ft. of buildings and are not using pesticidal sprays in any areas. We are on a total IPM program using bait used by our pest control contractor, but there is a clause in the contract that, under certain circumstances, pesticidal sprays can be used with my approval. Our buildings are inspected monthly by our pest control contractor who furnishes us with a report of their findings. I also inspect our buildings monthly.

What do you consider to be the successes of implementing IPM in your school system?

We are having excellent results with IPM in our schools. We have the same quality of control we had with monthly sprays and our costs are also about the same as they were with traditional chemical treatment.

What pollution was prevented by implementing IPM?

It is our intention that every child that comes into the Monroe county school system be as safe as possible. I believe that our reduction in pesticidal sprays and the children’s reduced risk of exposure to possible harmful chemicals can do nothing but improve the environment these children are required to be in each day.