1. Fulton County Schools Integrated Pest Management Best Practices
Good Afternoon.

2. What is IPM and why is it important in schools?
IPM is a team approach to managing pests that focuses on eliminating the reasons pest are present. Eliminate available food, water, shelter and access.
IPM program reduces exposure for students and staff to pest and pesticides.
IPM is cost effective.
School practices influence community practices, therefore IPM in schools is imperative.
Integrated Pest Management or IPM is a team approach to managing pests and the use of pesticides. All users of the school must focus on eliminating the available food, water, shelter and access in and around the school. IPM programs reduce the use of pesticides by as much as 70%. IPM is cost effective with no long term increase in cost. We hope that this program influences the school community and helps to reduce the number of pest that are brought from home to school.

3. IPM Best Practices
Inspect facilities for pest conducive conditions, pest and over the counter pesticides.
Identify, log and monitor to detect problems early.
Know your pest-vulnerable areas: where are food, water and shelter present?
Clean from a pest’s perspective.
Designate an IPM Lead for each building or site.
Best practices include inspecting the facility on a daily basis for areas that are conducive for pests. These inspections can be performed as other tasks are being completed. Things as simple as reporting standing water are part of the inspection process. Once pest are sited, the area and type of pest should be logged in the pest sighting log. Know the areas of the school that are most vulnerable for pest activity and monitor them diligently. (Kitchen/Cafeteria, dock and receiving area, food labs, concession stands, teachers lounge and around dumpsters) Designate a IPM Lead for your school, someone to monitor the sighting log and to work with the Maintenance staff on issues.

4. Rules and Regulations
The Georgia Department of Agriculture regulates pest control in schools.
(1) All pesticide application shall be made in a manner that minimizes the exposure of children or students to the pesticide.
The time frame and frequency of treatment.
Treatment can not be applied unless sightings are documented in sighting log.
The type of chemicals that can be used.
Insecticide and rodenticide baits.
Contractor must notify school of monthly scheduled visit, school must post signage with date and time.
No treatment in areas where students are present.
After school programs may have to be relocated to accommodate treatment. This will be coordinated through the principal.
In Georgia, the Department of Agriculture regulates pest control treatment in schools. Section of the code is specific to treatment in schools. The rules address the timeline for treatment and re-entry to areas by students for both the interior and exterior of the building. The rules prohibit treatment in areas of the building that have not been entered into the sighting log. Our IPM licensed pest control contractor checks the log for entries during their monthly visit and only treats the areas listed. There are also very strict rules about the recordkeeping of chemicals used and time and date that they are applied. Most of the treatments we receive in our schools consist of insecticide and rodenticide baits. Our IPM contract directs the contractor to report to the kitchens between the hours of 2:30 pm and 3:45 pm for the monthly treatment while the manager is available to open the dry storage area. The technician will schedule as many as three schools per afternoon and go to all the kitchens then return to each site to treat the areas in the main building that are recorded in the sighting log. If there are no entries he will go to the next scheduled site.

5. Caution
No one is allowed to apply any restricted use pesticide in a school unless they have a pesticide license (GA Law).
Household products such as Raid, should NOT be allowed to be used by anyone, anywhere in your facility. Require 3 hour re-entry delay and record keeping (GA Rule Treatment of Schools).
This could be dangerous as well as counterproductive to treatments by the licensed professional.
Faculty and staff should never introduce potentially harmful “bug sprays” into the school. Over-the-counter products often contain the same ingredients as those products only available to licensed pest control operators. It is actually against state law to use over-the-counter products in schools unless you keep a record of the application time and date and require that no students are allowed in the area for 3 hours after the application.
Using over-the-counter products could be very dangerous around our chemically sensitive children. It can also reduce the effectiveness of baits that have been applied by our contractor. It is our recommendation that no one be allow to bring over-the counter products into our schools.

6. What are Pests and why do we want to keep schools Pests Free?
Rodents, roaches, ants, wasp, termites, spiders, etc.
Other “unwanted” visitors in schools such as snakes, lizards, raccoons, etc.
Pests spread germs and diseases by contaminating surfaces.
Pests can bites or sting students and staff.
Studies show exposure to cockroaches and pesticides can trigger asthma attacks.
Pest are rodents, roaches, ants, wasp, termites, spiders and fleas. Also, unwanted visitors such as snakes, lizards, raccoons, coyotes', stray dogs and cats. The pest control contract does not cover the list of unwanted visitors but we have some brave men in the Maintenance department that will assist with these pests.
Common sense tells us that pest are dirty, carry diseases and spread germs by leaving urine, droppings and salvia on surfaces. Pests can sting or bite and in some cases cause allergic reactions that are life threatening.
In a 2007 report from the Centers for Disease Control, it was reported that Asthma affected 6% of school children nationally. The report also sited that asthma attacks in children can be triggered by exposure to cockroaches and pesticides.

7. How Can We Control Pests?
Through Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which started in Fulton County Schools in
FCS Maintenance administers contract with the licensed pest control company.
Deny pests food, water, shelter and access.
Practice cleaning and sanitation to make the building non-conducive for pests.
Practice IPM for 12 months per year, not just when students are present.
We believe that Integrated Pest Management is the best way to reduce the pests and pesticide use in our schools. We started this program in 2003 with our licensed pest control contractor.
Our Support Services Staff has worked with the school staff to educate the custodians, cafeteria workers and school administrators on the Best Practices of the program.
This program is a 12 month program and we must be diligent about making our schools less conducive for pest throughout the year. Historically one of our worst times of the year for pests is when the school year begins. Most of the problems are related to no sightings being documented in the log book during the summer months. Please encourage your staff to continue to monitor the school and log sightings during the summer. Remember, if there are no sightings logged no treatment is applied during the monthly service.
Also remember that if you have contract cleaning in your school that they complete their cleaning by the end of June and if these areas are used for summer programs someone must inspect and clean the areas.

8. Cleaning and Sanitation
Careful cleaning eliminates the food supply, destroys insect eggs, and reduces the number of places pests can safely hide or nest.
Cleaning of the school is not only the responsibility of the custodial staff and contract cleaners, but all the staff in the school. Encourage all of the school community to clean up after themselves. We have a lot of outside organizations that use our sites and we need to make sure they understand and follow our cleaning practices.
There is also growing concern with the number of personal microwaves and refrigerators we are finding in our classrooms and offices. Privileges to have this equipment could be lost when they are found in the condition of the ones in the pictures. Several were found recently in classrooms, unplugged, with spoiled food left in them over the summer. Please make sure this equipment is inspected and cleaned on a regular basis.

9. Document Sightings
All sightings are to be documented in sighting log every time pests are sited.
Every school has two (2) sighting logs. One in the Kitchen and one in the Main Office.
Be specific with locations and type of pest.
Enter specific information in sighting log and SAP notification.
“Roaches in classroom 203 on the A hall under sink on left side of room when entering from hallway”
Document sightings of all pests in the sighting log and be very specific in the details. Also provide the same level of details when submitting a notification in SAP.
The notification is sent to the Pest Control Company to be used as a work order by their technician after normal hours, therefore they need to be provided good details.

10. Do Not Attract Pests – How?
Limit areas within school that food and beverages are stored and consumed.
Empty trash cans daily, do not reuse soiled bags
Store food properly.
Keep brooms, mops dustpans, etc. clean.
Please limit the areas within the school where food and beverages are stored and consumed. It only take a couple of hours for ants or roaches to find any treats left open in a classroom. Clean up crumbs and store food items properly.
Empty garbage cans daily, wash cans if leakage through the liner has occurred, keep cleaning equipment clean. Store mops and brooms upside down, off the floor on wall racks.

11. Deny Pests Food, Water and Access – How?
Store food in proper containers.
Clean up spills and ensure no water is left standing at the end of the day.
Report water leaks and possible entry paths to Maintenance.
Keep doors and windows closed at all times. Unpack deliveries as soon as possible and discard boxes outdoors.
Deny food, water, and access by storing all food in containers with snap top lids or in heavy zip lock bags. Clean up spills, make sure no water is left standing on the floors, and report any water leaks and possible entry paths to maintenance by SAP Notification.
Un-box items as soon as they arrive and discard the cardboard boxes outside as soon as possible. Keep doors and windows closed. In the kitchen, make sure the fly fan over the exterior door is working.

12. Prevent Roach Habitation & Remove Dead
Example of roach feces indicating to the roaches that this is a nesting area. Unless this area is cleaned they will continue to congregate and breed here.
Dead roaches and their egg casings MUST be removed and discarded promptly. After the parent host dies, eggs can still hatch out and continue the cycle.
Equipment must be sanitized
Roaches look for out of the way places to live and will make their homes in equipment and other out of the way places.
Something as small as a paper towel left behind or under equipment can create a habitat for breading thousands of roaches.
After areas have been treated and the dead roaches begin to appear, it is very important that the dead roaches be removed as quickly as possible. Eggs of the dead roaches can still hatch and continue the cycle.
All equipment used in food service preparation must be cleaned and sanitized.

13. Additional Treatment Notifications
Within 3 working days of submitting the SAP notification for additional treatment, the school’s designee that entered the notification should receive a response from maintenance or the pest control company.
If a response is not received within three (3) days, the designee should follow-up via with the respective cluster foreman for their school.
If pest issues continue after treatment is made, an additional notification should be submitted.
ALL RODENT SIGHTINGS should be submitted via SAP notification and documented in log book.
ANTS & CRAWLING BUGS – If the problem still exists three (3) days after treatment, another notification should be submitted via SAP; continue to document in sighting log.
ROACHES – After treatment, continue to document sightings in the log book. If after one (1) week the problem has not improved, submit another notification to maintenance.
When a notification is submitted for additional service, the contract requires the contractor to report to the school within 3 days.
This does not include stinging pest such as wasp or yellow jackets. For those a notification should be entered and a call place to the appropriate maintenance shop. Those are treated as “Emergency Work Orders” and the contractor will report to the site within the same day if possible, if not then the next day. If service is not rendered within these timelines the school should contact the appropriate Maintenance Foreman.
Timelines for additional treatments are also noted on this slide. These timelines allow for the insecticide and rodenticide baits to be effective.

14. Working Together
Keep all documentation left by Pest Control Contractor
If you have specific concerns or questions following treatment, please feel free to talk with your maintenance contact for pest control.
South - Leon Hill –
North – Tommy Thompson –
The Pest Control contractor leaves a copy of their treatment report at the school. These reports should be keep in a file. Many times the Health Inspectors will request the report for review. Also, since the Department of Agriculture monitors the Pest Control Contractor, they may also visit the school to review the reports.
We have one Foreman at each of our maintenance shops that processes the Pest Control notifications and works with schools on pest control issues. If you have any questions, concerns or need assistance please feel free to contact Leon Hill for South County issues and Matt Brooks for North County issues.

15. Together Together we will reach a common goal.
Have a clean, safe, pest free environment for Fulton County students to Engage, Improve, Excel.
The Support Services Departments are committed to this program and together we can provide a clean, safe, pest free environment where the students of Fulton County can Engage, Improve and Excel.