At the Westerville City Schools Board of Education Meeting held on February 23, Jennifer Andon, representing The Ohio State University’s Entomology Department, presented the District with a plaque from OSU and Improving Kids Environment (IKE) “for leadership in providing a safe learning environment by reducing risks from pest and pesticides through the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in schools.”
During the past two years, thanks to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant, Westerville Schools has shared its award-winning IPM implementation process with five different school districts in Ohio and Indiana. As a result of this program, three school districts in Ohio are utilizing IPM strategies within their pilot schools – Columbus City Schools, Brookville Schools and the Western Reserve School District, which, like Westerville, received a national IPM Star Certification award from the EPA.