Virtual school integrated pest management course set for Aug. 18
One-day online course fulfills training mandate for new coordinators, refresher for recertification
A School Integrated Pest Management Coordinator Training offered by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will be presented on Aug.18 from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. via Zoom.
The online program gives Texas school districts and charter schools a convenient way to meet state-mandated training requirements.
The cost is $80, and registration is required: tx.ag/PestMgmtTexasIPM.
Instructions for accessing the Zoom link will be given after participants register.
About the training
The one-day class fulfills the training requirement for all newly appointed integrated pest management, IPM, coordinators and counts as a six-hour refresher for current school IPM coordinators working toward their three-year recertification. The course is also useful for pest management professionals who service school districts.
Participants can earn six Texas Department of Agriculture Structural Pest Control Service, SPCS, continuing education units, CEUs and six Texas Department of Agriculture agriculture CEUs.
The SPCS units will be designated as the following:
General/laws and regulations: 2 CEUs.
General/IPM: 2 CEUs.
General/safety: 1 CEU.
General/other: 1 CEU.
The TDA agriculture units will be designated as the following:
General/pesticide factors: 2 CEUs.
Laws and regulations: 1 CEU.
General/safety: 1 CEU.
IPM: 2 CEUs.
The event’s instructors are Janet Hurley, AgriLife Extension senior program specialist, School Integrated Pest Management, Texas A&M Department of Entomology, Dallas, and Jake Wightman, AgriLife Extension agricultural and environmental safety program specialist in the Agricultural and Environmental Safety Unit, Bryan-College Station.
What the sessions will cover
Since 1995, all independent school districts in Texas are required to designate a responsible IPM coordinator. Beginning in 2026, publicly funded charter schools are also required to name an IPM coordinator.
The morning agenda opens with an introduction to IPM in school settings, covering inspections, monitoring, action thresholds, non-chemical control measures and the role of pesticides within a school’s IPM program.
Sessions are on Texas pesticide applicator rules and Texas Department of Agriculture jurisdiction, Texas school IPM rules, and pesticide use, labels and recordkeeping requirements, including yellow and red approval forms, storage and disposal, and reporting spills and incidents.
“While this class is a mandatory requirement for school IPM coordinators, anyone who works within a school district or pest control company should understand why this law was put into place 30 years ago,” Hurley said. “Integrated pest management requires the IPM coordinator and pest management professional, PMP, to identify the pest before applying any pesticide.”
They must identify whether the pest is an insect, weed, rodent or disease and determine where it is located and whether it poses a risk to people, Hurley said.
“They also investigate how it entered the area, such as through an open door, backpack or box, and why it is present,” Hurley said. “Before applying a pesticide, they evaluate whether nonchemical methods, including removing food sources, sealing entry points or improving sanitation, can reduce or eliminate the pest.”
The afternoon sessions address notifications and postings, including the Notice of Pest Control Treatment, Consumer Information Sheet, outdoor treatment requirements and emergency waivers, along with management of stinging and biting pests such as fire ants, wasps and bees.
The day will close with a session on maintaining a school IPM program and cover the following:
- IPM coordinator duties and continuing education requirements.
- Policy statements and parental notification.
- Action thresholds and biological, cultural, mechanical and chemical controls.
- Resources for teachers, staff, parents and pest management professionals.
For more information, contact Hurley at [email protected].
