Project Overview

Reports

Commodities

• Community and Urban Pest Management: public health, school & child care

Target Pests

Practices

• Pest Management: chemical control, exclusion, prevention

• Sustainable Communities: other, public participation, public policy, quality of life, sustainability measures

The IPM Institute of North America's North Central School IPM Working Group (WG) aims to build on its proven success in promoting IPM practices in schools with renewed funding through the North Central IPM Center. Expanding IPM adoption in schools is essential to improve environmental health and educational outcomes. Successful school IPM programs help improve student attendance, particularly among those affected by asthma, by reducing pesticide use and minimizing pest allergens (Gouge et al., 2023; US EPA, 2016). Asthma remains a leading cause of school absenteeism, with 4 out of 9 children missing school annually due to poorly controlled asthma (NHLBI, 2020). Approximately 37% of children with asthma in the US are allergic to cockroaches and another 40% are allergic to mice (US EPA, 2016; Matsui, 2013). Pesticide applications can further inflame the immune response in children's lungs (Ye et al., 2013). These health impacts underscore the urgency of implementing effective IPM programs in schools. By providing improved access to IPM training, resources and expertise, the WG and the proposed work will help increase the number of schools adopting effective IPM programs to improve the health and safety of students and reduce absenteeism associated with asthma and other pest-related issues. The WG has a strong track record of advancing IPM in schools across the region by developing and disseminating high-quality, no-cost educational resources for school staff, IPM trainers and students. As of November 2025, there are 3,512 users registered for the WG’s Pest Defense for Healthy Schools virtual IPM courses. The WG’s blog posts and newsletters since June have already received more views and engagement than the entire previous year. Newsletter opens have increased by three percent so far to 31% on average, and there are 3,100% more views on new blog posts compared to views on previous blog posts at the end of 2024, bringing the latest IPM information to a larger audience. During the 2026/27 grant period, the WG will strengthen the position of the Pest Defense program as a central hub for school IPM resources through strategic partnerships, webinars, newsletters, blog posts and courses and focus on expanding its reach by encouraging more teachers to implement existing Pest Defense IPM curricula. 

Objective 1. Strengthen the position of the Pest Defense for Healthy Schools program as a central hub for school IPM resources in the North Central Region and nationally through strategic partnerships, webinars, newsletters, blog posts, courses and curricula. 

Objective 2. Expand the reach of IPM curricula by incorporating Pest Defense lesson plans into at least three more K-12 classrooms to educate students on IPM principles that promote long-term environmental and human health benefits. 

Objective 1. Strengthen the position of the Pest Defense for Healthy Schools program as a central hub for school IPM resources in the North Central Region and nationally through strategic partnerships, webinars, newsletters, blog posts, courses and curricula. 

Objective 2. Expand the reach of IPM curricula by incorporating Pest Defense lesson plans into at least three more K-12 classrooms to educate students on IPM principles that promote long-term environmental and human health benefits.