Roanoke County school board terminates cell tower agreement

The Roanoke County School Board voted Thursday to terminate an agreement with a company that planned to build cell towers at two county schools.

Milestone Communications entered into an agreement with the school board in February 2016, but just this year started on the planning phases of the projects. The company needed the school board’s initial blessing before meeting with Roanoke County planning and zoning staff to apply for a conditional use permit. The school board unanimously voted to allow Milestone to proceed with the project in October...

https://www.roanoke.com/news/education/roanoke-county-school-board-terminates-cell-tower-agreement/article_cff769a0-d0c5-5fbf-9c29-93ebe15bc6ff.html?fbclid=IwAR0876OgDdZZMi_CbaEtmevJyZD3dDY1kddCwR4NAf3SOozAFGcyseIdFB0

Anne Arundel school board halts Shady Side cellphone tower

The Anne Arundel County Board of Education voted 6-3 last week to halt the proposed cellphone tower project at Shady Side Elementary School...

...“What I still fail to understand is why we, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, is in the cell tower business,” Schallheim said. “I don’t understand how it supports our mission to elevate all students, eliminate all gaps. Other jurisdictions have banned cell towers from school grounds.”

District 33 board member Eric Grannon has been sympathetic to cell tower opponents, said Mike Shay, vice president of South Arundel Citizens for Responsible Development. Grannon introduced the Wednesday motion to pause the project that won over the majority of the board...

https://www.capitalgazette.com/news/schools/ac-cn-cell-tower-halted-20181221-story.html?fbclid=IwAR1oVfg08UP7tAI3Zw6Lsh9J06DlClP9lAnilTwUNT88N8MzRuoOTLk8K-Y

https://www.capitalgazette.com/news/schools/ac-cn-cell-tower-halted-20181221-story.html?fbclid=IwAR1oVfg08UP7tAI3Zw6Lsh9J06DlClP9lAnilTwUNT88N8MzRuoOTLk8K-Y

Breaking News: Playgrounds Saved for Students! PGCPS and Milestone Communications End Deal for Future Cell Towers

PGCPS and Milestone Communications End Deal for Future Cell Towers

| Comunicado del director ejecutivo, el Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell, con respecto a las torres de telefonía celular en propiedades de PGCPS

Prince George's County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 08/29/2017 04:02 PM EDT

PGCPS AND MILESTONE PGCPS END DEAL TO CONSTRUCT FUTURE CELL PHONE TOWERS

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for students and staff. To this end, we have terminated an agreement with Milestone Communications to place future cell phone towers on school system properties.

We heard your concerns about the potential impact of cell phone towers on student health, questions about the site selection process, opportunities for community engagement and other issues. Therefore, we believe this decision is in the best interest of our schools, students and families.

Milestone Communications, a Virginia-based firm, will continue to manage existing tower locations at seven sites. PGCPS has not made a decision regarding future agreements with telecommunications providers.

We appreciate your continued input and support in ensuring healthy learning environments for all students.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell

Chief Executive Officer

COMUNICADO DEL DIRECTOR EJECUTIVO, EL DR. KEVIN M. MAXWELL, CON RESPECTO A LAS TORRES DE TELEFONIA CELULAR EN PROPIEDADES DE PGCPS

Estimados padres y tutores:

Las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Prince George (PGCPS) están comprometidas a proporcionar un ambiente de apoyo y seguro para los estudiantes y el personal escolar. Con ese fin, hemos pactado un acuerdo con Milestone Communications para la futura colocación de torres de telefonía celular en propiedades del sistema escolar.

Hemos escuchado sus inquietudes sobre el posible impacto de las torres de telefonía celular en la salud de los estudiantes; las interrogantes sobre el proceso de selección del lugar; las oportunidades para la participación comunitaria y otros temas. Por lo tanto, creemos que esta decisión vela por el beneficio de nuestras escuelas, estudiantes y familias.

Milestone Communications, una firma con sede en Virginia, continuará manejando las torres existentes en siete ubicaciones. PGCPS no ha tomado una decisión en relación a futuros acuerdos con los proveedores de telecomunicaciones.

Apreciamos su apoyo continuo y sus comentarios para garantizar que existan entornos de aprendizaje sanos para todos los estudiantes.

Atentamente,

Dr. Kevin Maxwell

Director ejecutivo

http://content-dc3.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/PGCPS-1b3e0b5

Perhaps the school system should at least consider redoing its deal with Milestone to rule out towers at elementary schools...

Sometimes, even when you have the data on your side, it’s prudent to bow to your neighbors’ concerns, just because they are your neighbors and you need their cooperation for other things.

That’s a point for Anne Arundel County’s school board to ponder as it considers an application by Verizon Wireless and Milestone Communications, a Virginia-based wireless tower developer, to put a 114-foot cellphone tower in the woods behind Shady Side Elementary School.

That plan, as reflected at a hearing last week, has run into heated opposition from the school community, as did Milestone’s ultimately abandoned effort to put a 99-foot tower at Piney Orchard Elementary School four years ago...

http://www.capitalgazette.com/opinion/ac-ce-our-say-20170827-story.html

"Part of the reason we moved here was to get away from the pollution of the big city, including all the cell towers and antennas,"

http://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/anne-arundel-parents-fight-proposed-cell-phone-tower-across-from-elementary-school

Cell Tower President Says Son Had Leukemia in 3rd Grade at School with Cell Tower

Minute 1:00 of this video.  The speaker is Len Forkas, the president of Milestone Communications.  Milestone Communications builds cell towers on public school land.

Health and safety concerns raised at Shady Side cell tower meeting

Capital Gazette: 

At a tense meeting Wednesday night, officials who have proposed placing a cellphone tower on the property of Shady Shade Elementary School were met with opposition from neighboring residents worried about the health and safety of children attending the school.

Verizon Wireless and Milestone Communications want to place a 114-foot monopole in the woods behind the school, which they say is needed to improve cellphone reception in the area. Inside Shady Side Community Center on Wednesday, where the meeting was held at 7 p.m., Verizon had a weak 4G signal.

The placement would be part of an agreement that Milestone made with Anne Arundel County Public Schools in 2012, which it renewed this summer, allowing the company to lease portions of school system properties to build telecommunications monopoles.

In addition to health and safety concerns about the radiofrequency radiation emitted from the tower, people at the meeting raised concerns about the transparency in the process and who would have access to the site...

http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/schools/ph-ac-cn-cell-tower-0810-20170809-story.html

WUSA9: Cell Towers Could Be Built at Dozens of PG County Public Schools

USA9 Reports on the Milestone Communications Cell Tower Deal: Cell towers could be built at dozens of Prince George's Co. schools

GREENBELT, MD (WUSA9) - A cell phone tower developer is backing away from a proposal to put a tower at Greenbelt’s Eleanor Roosevelt High School. The decision comes as scrutiny is mounting over the company’s confidential lease with the Board of Education that allows tower development at 73 of the county’s 208 schools.

Milestone Communications has told Prince George’s County Public School’s CEO Dr. Kevin Maxwell that it will withdraw its application to put a tower at Eleanor Roosevelt H.S. Maxwell criticized the company saying it has “not met our desired standards for transparency, communication and community engagement." Maxwell made his comments in a letter to Board of Education member Lupi Quinteros-Grady, who opposed tower development at Roosevelt.

Even so, the school system in 2016 renewed a lease with Milestone that gives the company rights to develop as many as two towers at dozens of county schools. At least six schools are already cell tower sites. 

Watch the full report here http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/greenbelt/cell-towers-could-be-built-at-dozens-of-prince-georges-co-schools/438970099

PGCPS Superintendent Kevin Maxwell Writes Letter About Milestone's "less than desired standards of transparency" #celltower

From Superintendent Kevin Maxwell's letter to Milestone Communications:

"I concur with you that Milestone Communications has not met our desired standards of transparency, communication and community engagement. Your displeasure with their process, which we share with you, has been clearly communicated to Milestone Communications.
In response, we have been notified by Milestone Communications of its decision to withdraw their application for the proposed telecommunication facility (cell tower) at Eleanor Roosevelt High School.
I greatly appreciate your continued advocacy for our students, our schools, and your constituents." 
   

Cell Towers Do Not Belong At My Child's School : PGCPS CEO Dr. Maxwell Writes Letter About Mileston...: Prince George's County CEO  Dr. Maxwell writes letter stating that: " I concur with you that Milestone Communications has not ...

City of Greenbelt Calls for Immediate Reconsideration of Cell Tower Proposal for High School

Cell Towers Do Not Belong At My Child's School : City of Greenbelt's Letter sent to Milestone Commu...: Read the City of Greenbelt's Letter sent to Milestone Communications today.

NBC4 reports on Parents Speaking Out on Cell Tower proposed for High School

Prince George's County parents speaking out at a meeting this week on Rushern Baker's no bid, no public input, no transparency or accountability cell tower deal with Milestone Communications. Milestone Communications is one of the sponsors of all of the Board of Education vacations to Ocean City every year and gave $5,000 to a ballot initiative of Rushern Baker's.

The Ocean City vacations for board members are arranged through MABE the board of education club run by Frances Glendenning. Milestone Communications is a no bid sponsor of the MABE organization and gets to advertise and have meetings with board members out of public view. (Insert music to "It's a Small World").

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Community-Meeting-About-Cell-Phone-Towers-Gets-Heated-In-Prince-George_s-County_Washington-DC-420434853.html

Exclusive Video: Parents Appeal Cell Tower on School Playground to MD State Board of Education

Exclusive video of the September 22, 2015  of the

MEETING OF THE MARYLAND STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

This video clip shows the oral argument of parents appealing the decision of their Board of Education to build a cell tower on their local public school's playground.  

Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Nancy S. Grasmick State Education Building
200 West Baltimore Street
7th Floor Board Room
Baltimore, Maryland

Oral Argument
Colin Murphy, et al. v. Anne Arundel County Board of Education

Click here for the Proposed Decision that has been issued by an Administrative Law Judge in this matter.  The Maryland State Board of Education heard additional arguments from the parties and then will issue their final Decision based on the Administrative Law Judge's proposed decision.

State Board of Ed to Decide Cell Tower Constroversy

Some Anne Arundel County parents are demanding the state Board of Education order the removal of cellphone towers from school property across the state. Shaped like a tree, the cell tower is designed to fit into the environment, but not everyone in Arnold welcomes its presence on the grounds of Magothy River and Severn River middle schools. At the center of this dispute is a contract the school district signed with Virginia-based Milestone Communications to construct the tower. A citizens' group wants the contract canceled and the tower dismantled.

Watch WBAL's coverage of the Maryland State Board of Education meeting at the link below.

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/group-wants-cell-towers-gone/35420012?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=wbaltv11

Parents Take Cell Tower Fight to MD State Board of Education on Tues. Sept 22nd

MEETING OF THE MARYLAND STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Nancy S. Grasmick State Education Building
200 West Baltimore Street
–
7th Floor Board Room
Baltimore, Maryland

Oral Argument
9:25 a.m.
Colin Murphy, et al. v. Anne Arundel County Board of Education

Click here for the Proposed Decision that has been issued by an Administrative Law Judge in this matter.  The Maryland State Board of Education will hear additional arguments from the parties on Tuesday and then issue their final Decision based on the Administrative Law Judge's proposed decision.

Directions and parking information at this link.

How MABE Introduces No Bid Vendors to Boards of Education and Local School Systems .@MABE_News

MABE is the Maryland Association of Boards of Education.

MABE is a taxpayer funded private club for Board of Education members across the State of Maryland.  Taxpayers fund the club and get absolutely no information on how funds are used.  The funds paid to MABE each year are Maintenance of Effort public school education dollars.

In Montgomery County, our Board of Education spent over $70,000 on MABE last year.  That's about one less teacher for our classrooms. Apparently, this private club is more important to our Board of Education than teachers.

But, the $1.2 million +/- that MABE gets in dues and fees from Boards of Education is not enough to keep this private club going.  MABE's president, Frances H. Glendening, apparently needs more than what taxpayers fork over for this club.  So MABE has "partnered" with vendors looking for their own slice of the education pie (scroll down the right side of the MABE home page to see the partners).  MABE allows these vendors to have exclusive, behind closed doors access to Board of Education members all over the state.  Some of those vendors end up getting no bid contracts with public school systems. 

Below is an example of where a MABE "partner" was able to hold court with Baltimore County Public School administrators.  The vendor was able to make a presentation and then use that presentation on their website.  Even more outrageous, the vendor was able to get an endorsement from a Baltimore County Public School administrator to use on the website.

Members of the Maryland Coalition to Halt Cell Towers at Schools discovered this endorsement and were concerned that this was a violation of the Baltimore County Public Schools ethics policy.  Inquiries were made.  The web page was immediately taken down.  If Coalition members had not spotted the endorsement of this MABE "partner" by a public school administrator it could have remained on the vendor's website indefinitely.   

If anyone can find out why MABE thinks that vendor "partners" should have exclusive access to public school Board of Education members, please let us know.  Our inquiries to MABE president Glendening have gone unanswered.

January 2015 screenshot of now removed webpage.

This January 2015 tweet is still showing up on Twitter.

Breaking: Parents File for Circuit Court Injunction to STOP Cell Tower on Playground .@MABE_News .@milestonecomm .@AACountySchools .@mocoboe .@pgcps

Case Information

Court System:	Circuit Court For Anne Arundel County - Civil
Location:	Anne Arundel Circuit Court
Case Number:	C-02-CV-15-002363
Title:	Colin Murphy Et. Al. vs. Anne Arundel County Board of Education
Case Type:	Injunction
Filing Date:	07/28/2015
Case Status:	Open

---

Involved Parties Information

Plaintiff

Name:

Murphy Et. Al., Colin

Address:
City:

Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff

Name:	O'Kane, Jessica
Address Line 1:
City:

---

Defendant

Name:

Anne Arundel County Board of Education

Address:	C/o P. Tyson Bennett
	888 Bestgate Road, Suite 316
City:	AnnapolisState:MDZip Code:21401

---

---

---

---

Document Information

File Date:	07/28/2015Close Date:
Filed By:
Document Name:	Complaint / Petition
Comment:	Complaint for Temporary Restraining Order and/or Preliminary Injunction and Permanent Injunction

---

File Date:	07/28/2015Close Date:
Filed By:
Document Name:	Supporting Exhibits
Comment:	(Photographs)

---

File Date:	07/28/2015Close Date:
Filed By:
Document Name:	Supporting Exhibits
Comment:	(Proposed Decision)

---

File Date:	07/28/2015Close Date:
Filed By:
Document Name:	Case Information Report Filed
Comment:

---

File Date:	07/28/2015Close Date:
Filed By:
Document Name:	Attorney Appearance - No Fee
Comment:

Breaking: Judge says that cell towers do not fall in line with Maryland's educational code #milestone .@MABE_News .@milestonecomm .@AACountySchools .@mocoboe .@pgcps

Parents hoping the Maryland Board of Education will permanently halt construction of a cell phone tower in Arnold when it meets this fall are asking an Anne Arundel County judge to stop the work before it can be completed.
Construction on the tower at Magothy and Severn River middle schools is on target to wrap up in early August, more than a month before the state board will consider a preliminary opinion that cell phone towers on school grounds do not meet the state's educational code. The two schools are on the same property on Peninsula Farm Road.

Crews are currently using a crane to put up the tower.
Schools spokesman Bob Mosier said the timeline is to have the project completed by the week of Aug. 10.
Last year, a group of Arnold parents aligned with a state group opposed to putting cell phone towers on school property, filed an appeal with the state board to protest a cell phone tower planned at the middle schools.
Vanessa Haneberg of Arnold said she joined the appeal because she was concerned about many of the same things parents have been concerned with across the county: marring the landscape, property values and safety.
"We couldn't afford a lawyer," she said. "It's a matter of David and Goliath."
The appeal went to Maryland's Office of Administrative Hearings, where Judge Stephen Nichols said that the towers do not fall in line with Maryland's educational code to use schools for the benefit of the public school system...

 http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/schools/ph-ac-cn-cell-towers-0731-20150731-story.html#

Breaking: AA BOE Defies State Board - Builds Cell Tower Before Appeal Decision Released

Make no mistake about it.  Your children do not matter in Maryland. 

Maryland public schools can and will defy even the Maryland State Board of Education in their quest to appease private corporations.  What are the school administrators getting out of this? Please ask them.

Parents from Anne Arundel County appealed the decision of the Anne Arundel Board of Education to build a cell tower on the Magothy River Middle School playground to the Maryland State Board of Education.  The parties brought their case to an Adminstrative Law Judge, as directed by the Maryland State Board of Education, and the judge's decision has been transmitted to the Maryland State Board of Education.

And, guess what?  The parents have a very good chance of winning their appeal!  Yet, the Anne Arundel County Board of Education is permitting the construction of this cell tower to proceed before the Maryland State Board of Education releases their decision.  

The cell tower will be up in a few days and the parents who have played by the rules and followed the appropriate administrative procedure will be steamrolled.  The cell tower will be up.

What's the lesson here for our children?  Cheat, lie and scam the people you serve.  Get away with anything you can when you are a public school administrator or Board of Education member.  We look forward to seeing our children carry this lesson from their role models with them out into the world. This is what we want in young adults, right?

The pictures below were taken today, July 23, 2015, and show the construction of a cell tower on the Magothy River Middle School playground despite the fact that the Anne Arundel Board of Education knows that the decision to build this cell tower has been appealed to the Maryland State Board of Education, that the parents have a high likelihood of prevailing, and that the Maryland State Board of Education has not released their final Opinion.  

Today: Support House Bill 727 - Moratorium on Public School Playground Cell Towers

House Bill 727 only puts forward a moratorium on public school playground cell tower construction projects in one county, Anne Arundel, and only for one year.

However, HB 727 sends the message that the issue of commercial companies constructing HAZMAT compounds on public school playgrounds needs to be examined and evaluated before going any further.  

If you believe that Maryland public school playgrounds are for the use, education and enjoyment of public school children, and that the issue of cell towers on playgrounds needs to be studied thoroughly before any more cell towers are built, please send a note of support for House Bill 727 to the list of Maryland House Delegates shown below. 

Ask the following Delegates to please support HB727, Anne Arundel County Board of Education - Wireless Telecommunications Towers - Moratorium and Report

 sheila.hixson@house.state.md.us; frank.turner@house.state.md.us; kathy.afzali@house.state.md.us; Darryl.Barnes@house.state.md.us; Jason.Buckel@house.state.md.us; Eric.Ebersole@house.state.md.us; Diana.Fennell@house.state.md.us; Kevin.Hornberger@house.state.md.us; carolyn.howard@house.state.md.us; anne.kaiser@house.state.md.us; Bob.Long@house.state.md.us; eric.luedtke@house.state.md.us; Ric.Metzgar@house.state.md.us; Edith.Patterson@house.state.md.us; Andrew.Platt@house.state.md.us; Teresa.Reilly@house.state.md.us; Haven.Shoemaker@house.state.md.us; Meagan.Simonaire@house.state.md.us; Jimmy.Tarlau@house.state.md.us; jay.walker@house.state.md.us; mary.washington@house.state.md.us; alonzo.washington@house.state.md.us

  Sheila Hixson  sheila.hixson@house.state.md.us    (Chair)
Frank Turner  frank.turner@house.state.md.us           (Vice Chair)
Kathy Afzli  kathy.afzali@house.state.md.us
Darryl Barnes  Darryl.Barnes@house.state.md.us
Jason Buckel Jason.Buckel@house.state.md.us
Eric Ebersole  Eric.Ebersole@house.state.md.us
Diana Fennell    Diana.Fennell@house.state.md.us
Kevin Hornberger   Kevin.Hornberger@house.state.md.us
Carolyn Howard   carolyn.howard@house.state.md.us
Anne Kaiser  anne.kaiser@house.state.md.us
Robert Long  Bob.Long@house.state.md.us
Eric Luedtke  eric.luedtke@house.state.md.us
Ric Metzgar  Ric.Metzgar@house.state.md.us
Edith Patterson  Edith.Patterson@house.state.md.us
Andrew Platt  Andrew.Platt@house.state.md.us
Teresa Reilly  Teresa.Reilly@house.state.md.us
Haven Shoemaker   Haven.Shoemaker@house.state.md.us
Meagan Simonaire  Meagan.Simonaire@house.state.md.us
Jimmy Tarlau  Jimmy.Tarlau@house.state.md.us
Jay Walker   jay.walker@house.state.md.us
Mary Washington  mary.washington@house.state.md.us
Alonzo Washington  alonzo.washington@house.state.md.us

Please share and post this link on all the websites and Faceboook pages affiliated with opposition to Cell towers on public school property.

Channel 45 news coverage:

Anne Arundel delegates approve school cell tower moratorium

Anne Arundel delegates approve school cell tower moratorium