MoCo Planning Board Puts Cell Tower on Public School Playground, No Parent Input, Student Safety Not Evaluated @CaseyAndersonPB @natalifani

Daly Elementary School cell tower compound.

The last time MCPS put a cell tower on a public school playground was in 2006.

Since then, Montgomery County parents have spoken loud and clear that they do not want commercial telecommunications structures and compounds on their local public school playgrounds and fields.

Remember these attempts to put cell towers on public school playgrounds?

Sligo Middle School parents said no to a cell tower.

Parkland Middle School parents said no to a cell tower.

Wootton High School parents said no (twice) to a cell tower. 

Northwest High School parents said no to a cell tower.

Julius West Middle School parents said no (twice) to a cell tower.

Whitman High School parents said no to a cell tower.

And the list goes on.

So what did the Montgomery County Planning Board do in order to build a new cell tower on the Blair High School baseball field? 

The Montgomery County Planning Board did not ask parents their position on this project, did not hold a community meeting to present the plans, and withheld the actual construction plans from the public.  

And so today in a 4 to 1 vote, the Montgomery County Planning Board voted to do what the Board of Education has not done since 2006.  The Planning Board voted to add a cell tower to the Blair High School baseball field.  Details of the construction plan were not presented to the Planning Board and they did not ask staff to present the actual plans.  The Planning Board did not seek out parent input and did not care that none had been received.

Thanks to Planning Board member Tina Patterson for caring about public school students.  Ms. Patterson voted against this construction project and attempted to get a delay of today's vote.