I
am a Master's level classroom teacher. My current work involves
researching and recommending funding for program's in children's
environmental health. I am a strong proponent of smart, developmentally
appropriate safe technology use in my home and schools. I moved to
Petaluma from the East Bay largely for cleaner air and better schools. I
chose this neighborhood partly because I had heard so many great things
about Cherry Valley.
I was very upset to hear that Petaluma City
Schools spent a large part of our bond money (with little to no
community and teacher input) on purchasing an I-Pad for EVERY student in
Petaluma City Schools starting in kindergarten. Many educators and
parents agree with me that young children should spend most of their
educational time off of computers. I allow my child to play educational
games on the computer at home from time to time, but I don't want that
to be a large part of his classroom experience. When I asked the Deputy
Superintendent of Petaluma City Schools if we could opt out of the
program and if my child could do other things during I-pad time, I was
told that none of us can opt out (even if we volunteer to come in and
teach our child at that time). I was told that in order to save money,
all textbooks will soon be going on-line, so we can't opt out. I
understand that next year my son will have at least 45 minutes per day
on the i-Pad just for reading instruction alone and soon he will have to
take it home nightly and charge it at my home.
I asked the Center
for Environmental Health to do a literature on i-Pad safety because I
was worried about eye strain in kids. I understand that children's eye
muscles aren't fully developed until age 7. I have the report and I am
happy to share it with anyone. It brings up concerns I never thought of
such as: carpel tunnel (the District i-Pads don't come with keyboards),
myopia, Internet/device addiction (a new DSM category), and Wi-Fi
(mentioned as a possible safety hazard because the research is mixed).
So,
I decided to do more research into Wi-Fi in the classrooms. I learned
that this summer Petaluma City Schools installed one industrial strength
router inside every classroom in Cherry Valley and that their routers
are constantly on and emitting radiation. Most people I know turn off
their routers at night and don't place them in their children's
bedrooms. In any case, I learned that i-Pads have 5 antennas that emit
radiation and when a class of 20 are on at once the radiation levels in
the classrooms are greatly magnified.
I don't want to worry about
Wi-Fi. It is everywhere. I had my baby's pack-and-play right next to our
router when he was little. That said, the more real, peer-reviewed
scientific studies I read about, the more alarmed I am. I started with
research from the Environmental Health Trust. I did not want to believe
their warnings about children's unique vulnerability to radiation, but I
checked in with top researchers and people at the Environmental Working
Group, UCSF and the Center for Public Health and I was assured that the
science coming from the Environmental Health Trust is sound. Here is a
link to their recommendation about limiting children's' exposure to
Wi-Fi. The idea is that since Wi-Fi is everywhere and the effects are
mostly likely cumulative, we won't really know the effects for at least
10 years. So, to air on the side of caution, the best practice would be
to limit Wi-Fi exposures at home and at school, the places where kids
spend most of their time. http://ehtrust.org/
"Children
are not little adults. Children’s skulls are thinner and tissues of a
child’s head, including the bone marrow and the eye, absorb
significantly more energy than those in an adult head. It is
scientifically accepted that children are more vulnerable to the
biological effects of microwave exposure than adults due their rapidly
developing body systems. Children’s stem cells are more affected by
microwave radiation. No studies show that microwave radiation exposure
in children is safe or that continuous exposure from cell phones, cell
towers, cordless phones, Wi-Fi routers, baby monitors, etc. is safe."
--------
and about the research...... see http://www.justproveit.net/content/studies
"HOW
MANY STUDIES DOES IT TAKE?: There are now more than 5,000 studies,
linking more than 122 biological effects from wireless technologies.
Meanwhile there are more than 10,000 studies that do not show effects.
Does this prove that there are no effects? The science is finding
biological effects from wireless technologies 38% of the time. Yet,
these mixed results create a perceived ambiguity, which has allowed
regulators across the US to continue to approve deployments of “untested
and unproven” wireless technologies. The basis for approval is that
regulators claim that there is not consensus in the science over the
biological impacts from microwaves and radio-frequencies. " http://www.justproveit.net
INTERNATIONAL
SCIENTISTS SOUND THE ALARM: "BIO-INITIATIVE REPORT: "In August 2007
fourteen international scientists reviewed more than 2000 studies in a
meta-study linking microwaves and other EMFs to multiple health impacts,
including DNA damage, brain cancer, Alzheimer’s, breast cancer,
children’s cancers (leukemia), immune system dysfunction, cardiac
symptoms, alteration of melatonin production, inflammation and
electromagnetic sensitivity. The 630 page report also links numerous
symptoms such as headaches, sleep disturbances, concentration issues,
fuzzy thinking, joint and muscle pain and memory loss to wireless.:
Summary of the BioInitative Report.
SCIENCE SHOWS BIOEFFECTS: Since
1999 the US government has failed to fund even one non-military study on
the health effects of wireless technologies. During that during that
time at least 12 new classes of wireless technologies were deployed and
more than 1000 independent studies have shown a broad range of
biological effects from microwaves and other EMFs. The BioInitiative
Report reviews more than 2000 studies, linking wireless and other EMFs
to disease, symptoms and biological effects." http://www.justproveit.net
For
all still reading. Thank you. I have used my 3 minutes allotted to me
to speak up at a school board meeting. I did join a group of parents to
speak with the principal at Cherry Valley. She was very receptive to
allowing independent metering of Wi-Fi levels at Cherry Valley until she
spoke with the administration and was told our only recourse is to
speak up at school board meetings. Maybe you don't care about Wi-Fi,
maybe you care that the filters don't work and your child is accessing
highly inappropriate content. Whatever your issue, please speak up.
These are our schools, these are our kids and they deserve the best.
Let's continue this conversation off line. lendrip@gmail.com : ) Peace
PS. I am about to join nine other families I know leaving Petaluma City Schools. My family had a lot to offer this district..: (
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