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Dear MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith- Time to Protect Students Not Promote Pollution

Dear Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Smith, I am writing to you on an important issue regarding our children’s hea...

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

School Wi-Fi is Wi-Fi On Steroids: Unnecessary and Far too Powerfull

School Wi-Fi is Wi-Fi on Steroids.
Schools Must Take Action Now To Care For the Children
Let's Do The Right Thing For Kids!

Solutions: Here is What Every School Can Do Right Now

Two access points on ceiling at Bells Mill
1. Shut Wi-Fi Transmitters Off When Not In Use.
A simple solution that can be done right now. Flip the switch.
Why are children being exposed to pulsed microwave radiation for the entire school day when very little time is spent online?   


Schools then can call a technician today to set up an appointment to install 100% safe ethernet connections.


2. Keep Students From Sitting Too Close to Routers:
Ensure there are no students sitting right above or right under an access point. If an access point is ceiling mounted and a child is sitting right above it in the class on the floor directly above, the child is getting much more WiFi radiation than other children further away. These kids will be getting the highest radiation exposure because they are the closest. This is not fair to these kids.

3. Follow the Manufacturer's Safety Instructions:
Teach the students and staff proper use of Chromebooks and other wireless devices per manufacturers’ directions in the manual.

Manuals instruct us to hold Laptops “at a distance”.
Manuals state how far Wi-Fi device must be from your body so that you are not absorbing dangerous amounts of radiation- that exceed our outdated FCC guidelines. Devices are government mandated to be tested at a distance of  ~8 inches for laptops and under an inch  for cellphone (depends on the phone). Holding a device any closer means exposing yourself to untested levels. In fact, if you place a laptop on your lap you can get over 100x the FCC allowed radiation.  Most teachers do not know this. Most students do not know this.  Read some of the instructions  here.

The Right to Know: Devices should be radiation tested in the way kids use them... sadly they are not. The manuals warn us but no one even knows about these warnings which is why US States are introducing Right To Know laws.

The Problem: The distances in the manual DO NOT PROTECT KIDS as the American Academy of Pediatrics has detailed. FCC levels are thousands of times too high to protect kids .
A child has smaller arms than an adult and often cannot even keep the laptop at 8 inches from their body.

4. Educate Students:
Teach the children to turn the Wi-Fi OFF on their devices when not in use.  If they don’t need to connect to the internet they can turn OFF the antennas. This stops the device from constantly radiating while searching for the nearest router. For example, cell phones and laptops (even if you are not talking or using the device) emit continuous spikes of radiation, checking in with the nearest cell tower or WiFi router; this is called “the handshake.”


Then What Can the School System Do This Week?


1. Install 100% Safe Technology: Work with IT staff to install Ethernet connections for every classroom.  Safe technology allows for full online access without Wi-Fi radiation. No student will be without the internet.


From the Environmental Health Trust
2.Integrate Educational Materials into Classes
Develop curriculum to teach kids how to use their tech devices more safely.  
  • Young women should learn not to keep cell phones in their bra.
  • Kids should not have phones in their pocket.
  • Kids should not text with the phone resting on their belly. (That behavior means spikes of radiation go directly into their reproductive organs.)
  • Kids need to learn how to decrease exposure and why it is so important.


Materials exist. Why not use them?


From the Environmental Health Trust
Doctor’s Advice on Cell Phones
The BabySafe Project: Healthy pregnancy!

What Can Parents Do Right Now? 

1. Write the School Principal, PTA, and School Board. A short letter asking for safe technology. 
Please cc us at safetechforschoolsmaryland@gmail.com

2. Educate yourself about the issue so you can reduce exposures at home. Talk to your family and friends.

3. Contact us at our gmail account to get involved. Please sign up for posts to the right. We are glad to come to your PTA meeting or to simply meet with fellow parents and share this information so you can make informed decisions about how you want to proceed.

All parents need to be fully informed of the risks of Wi-Fi to make educated decisions. 


Schools around the world are acting now to safeguard  children - We can do it  too!

Please join our Facebook Page at Safe Tech For Schools Maryland
Watch the W-USA 9 News Story
(Click on this picture)


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