Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland: Jheanelle Wilkins

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Monday, February 20, 2017

Parents' Coalition members call for support of HB 866/SB 1089, "Primary and Secondary Education - Health and Safety Guidelines and Procedures - Digital Devices" @screensandkids

parentscoalitionmc@outlook.com

The Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland has been working with stakeholders throughout the state of Maryland for fifteen years, seeking timely remediation for issues which threaten our children, greater transparency and accountability; and meaningful community input.

We have been providing parents, educators and lawmakers with pertinent medical information regarding the health threats posed to our children by classroom digital devices for over a year. The hazards facing Maryland students range from visual damage, headaches, dry eyes, muscular pain and joint pain to sleeplessness, anxiety and addiction.

Parents in Montgomery County are also concerned about the risks posed by the radiation emitted by the classroom digital devices and the Wi-fi routers installed in many schools.

It only makes sense that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene should devise health and safety regulations to protect our growing children from these hazards. We know the devices are harmful to the students' health, so we need medical experts to create a plan to protect them.

Please pass House Bill 866/Senate Bill 1089, "Primary and Secondary Education - Health and Safety Guidelines and Procedures - Digital Devices" and make sure our children do not suffer unnecessarily. The damage to their eyes and bodies may be permanent and should be avoided. Parents in Montgomery County will not stand by idly and allow that to happen, given that the teachers and the schools have a duty of care to provide a safe learning environment.

We look forward to your support of HB866/SB1089. Thank you for your attention to this important child safety legislation.

Sincerely,

Paula Bienenfeld Sheldon Fishman

Joseph Hawkins Janis Zink Sartucci

Danuta Wilson

Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD

Formed in 2002, the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland seeks to achieve the goals of coherent, content-rich curriculum standards; high expectations combined with timely remediation and acceleration; a wider range of educational options for parents and children; greater transparency and accountability; and meaningful community input.

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Distribution list:

anne.kaiser@house.state.md.us, frank.turner@house.state.md.us

Principles

What The Washington Post said about the Parents' Coalition

The coalition might be the best-known parent advocacy group in the region. Its members represent several constituencies, including parents of special education and gifted education students and fiscal watchdogs. The group's defining victory came this school year when the school system scaled back the fees charged to families for course materials.

Coalition leaders have drawn attention to the misuse of funds collected from students for activities, the broadcast of a commercial radio service on school buses and, with their "Weast Watch" blog, the travel habits of Weast and his lieutenants.

The Washington Post, June 4, 2009

Jerry Weast on the Parents' Coalition

"Along the way, you’ve had a challenging relationship with the Parents’ Coalition, the network of citizen activists who use the political process and other means to hold MCPS accountable.

The thing people accuse me of is listening, but not hearing. I hear, but I do not always agree. I am sorry that the world is faster than it was 10 years ago. I did not do that. [But] if we do not keep up, then our kids will be behind. We have to stop whining and get real."

Bethesda Magazine, March-April 2011