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Parent Action on Wi-Fi in School

You are ready to ensure your child’s school has healthy technology. 

Here is a step by step. Yes, you can spark positive change! 

Many schools in the USA and worldwide are replacing wireless with safe wired technology connections. We recommend starting at your child’s school and with the local school district but we also want to make sure all your hard work is put on the record at the state level. 

Here are the three basic steps.

  1. Raise awareness
  2. Organize with local parents
  3. Present the science along with practical solutions to decision makers. 

First. Raise Awareness to Build a Network

Many hands make light work. Parents around the country are working hard on this and it is important that you connect with local parents so you are not a lone voice. Here are some ideas. 

Share with small groups to form a parent network. 

  • Host a small gathering with fellow parents. Share some videos and information while the children are playing. 
  • Reach out to community members, set a date to meet and talk.

Top starting resources to share

Raise awareness in your community.

  • Get a booth at your local community fair, farmers market or PTA event. 
  • Host a film Screening of Generation Zapped or the PBS Burt Wolf’s Travels and Traditions to start a conversation in your community.Watch PBS episodes. 
  • Check out  EHT’s recommended films to screen in your community. 
  • Check out EHT’s video playlist dedicated to Wi-Fi in school. 
  • Organize a local meeting at your library or reach out to local clubs to speak about children and wireless (Rotary, Lions…) 
  • Write letters to the editor or short posts for your community organization newsletter.  
  • Post events and information on local community listserves. 
  • Raise awareness on social media. See social media graphics here.

Remember. Everything you do will plant seeds. 

Speak out at PTA meetings, school board and county/town council meetings.

  • Get the dates for upcoming council, PTA, school board meetings and find out how you can sign up to speak. 
  • Generally, members of the public can comment for 3-5 minutes at these meetings and this is an important opportunity to both inform policymakers and also to educate local residents who will be listening to you. 
  • We recommend you quote the statements of scientists in your presentations. 

Write letters with why and how to install safe technology in the schools. 

  • Letters need to go to the local decision makers but it is best to cc to the county, the state and also include all elected officials such as your state representatives. This is a critical step as you need to ensure the decision makers are fully informed on the health issues posed by wireless systems in schools. 
  • Ensure the letters have a step by step on practical solutions they can implement. 

Top Resources to share

Create a group and give yourself a name. 

  • Some parents have created “Safe Tech” committees within the PTA. See an example here of Safe Tech Montgomery County. Screens bring not only radiation issues, but also privacy and other physical health issues that parents are very concerned about. It can be very effective to unite all the parents working on screens and address the issues together.  
  • Make a simple flyer to pass out with a contact email for your group. 
  • A simple website or blog (super easy to maintain) is a great way to update parents. Several groups have Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages as well. Post events and news to your community along with action alerts. Use a variety of platforms to share information and post the letters you write to the school administration. 

Contact decision makers with science based information

Contact the school board and all of your elected officials and set up meetings to discuss this issue with them. Ask them to protect your children in schools.

If they say, “this is an FCC issue we can’t get involved”, we respectfully disagree. There is a lot elected officials can do at every level of government. 

What do we ask our elected officials to do ?

  • The state of Oregon passed SB 283 a bill focused on wireless radiation in schools. This historic bill tasks the Oregon Health Authority to review peer-reviewed, independently funded scientific studies of wireless in schools and tasks the Department of Education to develop recommendations to schools for technologies that would reduce students’ exposure to microwave radiation. 
  • In addition, the Maryland State Children’s Environmental Health And Protection Advisory Council issued a Report advising the Department of Education to recommend local school districts reduce wireless exposures as much as “feasibly possible.” The report lists recommendations such as providing wired—rather than wireless—internet connections. “If a new classroom is to be built, or electrical work is to be carried out in an existing classroom, network cables can be added at the same time, providing wired (not wireless) network access with minimal extra cost and time.”
  • Cell phones in the classroom increase student’s wireless exposures. When it comes to cell phones, several school districts are banning phones in classes and this also will significantly reduce radiofrequency radiation, as long as the phones are powered off. The Upper Sturt Primary School has a WiFi and Cell Phone Policy which provides a great example of how schools can share information. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reducing exposure to cell phone radiation with several steps. 

Here is what you can ask elected officials to do:

  • Ask schools to install safe wired technology in the school. Examples of schools that are reducing wireless here. 
  • Ask schools to integrate educational curriculum on reducing cell phone radiation into the health curriculum. 
  • Ask representatives to write a letter to the  FDA, FCC and EPA to present the studies showing that wireless is safe for children and teachers after long term exposure.  
  • Ask representatives to support legislation that investigates the effect of wireless in school on children’s health and also that issues recommendations for schools. 
  • Ask federal representatives to demand that the antiquated FCC guidelines for RF microwave radiation emissions be revised to include non-thermal biological effects.
  • Ask state representatives to pass a bill like New Hampshire and Oregon have to investigate and report on the (not industry funded) science and policy. 
  • Ask local officials to pass a cell phone/wireless proclamation. Toolkit here. 

Resources for Student Educational Curriculum on Safe Technology

  • The Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition partnered with EHT to develop modules for teachers and health curriculum on cell phone radiation. These free downloadable educational resources can be used by teachers around the world to educate students on cell phone radiation. 

Resources for Low EMF at schools

Connect with Teacher and School Staff Unions

Wireless in school is an occupational health issue just as much as a children’s health issue. It is critical to reach out to the teacher unions with this information. 

Some resources to share:

Click here for a Question and Answer on Wireless and Schools