Integrated Pest Management in Pennsylvania Schools

What does PA Act 35 ask schools to do?

Here is how the pieces fit together and where an outside provider helps. Start with the law itself, because every other piece of the plan answers to it.

At its core, the law asks two things of public schools. First, each school entity needs an integrated pest management plan, meaning a written approach that relies on inspection, monitoring, sanitation and exclusion, with pesticides used only when they are needed and in the least disruptive way. Second, schools must let parents, guardians and staff know about pesticide applications.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture oversees school IPM in the state and publishes guidance on how plans and notices should work. Penn State Extension also offers school IPM resources that facilities teams find practical. Administrators should rely on those sources for the exact requirements and deadlines that apply to their district. This is general information, not legal advice.

Who is the school IPM coordinator, and what do they own?

An IPM plan needs a person who holds it together. In most districts that role, often called the school IPM coordinator, falls to a facilities director or building supervisor. The coordinator keeps the plan current, receives pest sighting reports from staff, works with the pest control provider, keeps application records and makes sure the school pesticide notification steps happen on time.

The coordinator does not need to be a pest expert. They need a system: a sighting log in each building office, a clear way for teachers and custodians to report problems, and a provider who documents what was found and what was done after every visit.

Building blocks of an IPM plan for schools

A workable plan for a Delaware County school building usually covers these elements. None of them depend on spraying.

• Routine inspection and monitoring, with sticky monitors and rodent stations placed in kitchens, storage rooms and boiler rooms.
• Sanitation standards for cafeterias, faculty lounges and classrooms that allow food, including sealed snack storage.
• Exclusion work: door sweeps, screen repair, and sealing pipe and conduit penetrations.
• Landscape management that keeps mulch, shrubs and dumpsters away from building walls.
• Action thresholds that define when a sighting calls for treatment rather than monitoring.
• A list of the least-risk options to try first, such as baits in cracks or traps, before any broader application.
• Pesticide notification procedures and record-keeping for every application.

Where do pests show up in school buildings?

Schools have predictable trouble spots. The cafeteria kitchen and loading dock draw mice and German cockroaches. Classrooms that keep snacks in desks or cubbies attract ants and mice, especially in older buildings with gaps around radiators and heating pipes. Gyms and locker rooms can collect moisture pests, and athletic fields bring stinging insects and ticks to the edges of play areas.

Older school buildings, which are common in the established boroughs of eastern Delaware County, tend to have worn door thresholds, unsealed utility openings and old steam pipe chases. Fixing those once often prevents years of repeat calls.

Daycare pest control and private schools

Act 35 focuses on public schools. Daycares, preschools and many private schools may not fall under the same rules, but they serve the youngest and most sensitive children, so many choose to follow the same IPM approach anyway. Families may ask about pest practices during enrollment tours, and a written plan makes that conversation easy.

For a small center, the plan can be simple: a pest sighting sheet, a provider who uses monitoring and targeted placements, sealed food storage in classrooms, and a habit of telling families before any application. Our school and daycare pest control service supports both public schools and smaller childcare programs.

How a provider supports a Pennsylvania school IPM plan

An outside provider should fit into the plan rather than replace it. That means scheduling service when students are out of the building, reporting each visit in writing, recommending repairs to the maintenance team, and giving the coordinator what they need to meet notification requirements before any application.

Ask any provider for its Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture business license number and for sample service reports before you sign on. Look at how they describe monitoring and thresholds. A provider who talks mostly about spraying schedules is not working the way an IPM plan expects. You can see how we approach facilities on our commercial pest control page.