WI-FI Safety Tips For Kids

WI-FI Safety Tips For Kids: @saferphones just released these simple steps for students to reduce their wireless exposure when at home. @ABC7News #7OnYourSide pic.twitter.com/cYNtNDAraO

— Scott Taylor ABC 7 (@ScottTaylorTV) April 2, 2020

Generation Zapped -which was just screened at NIH Conference- is allowing for a full exclusive stream online for one week.

Interested in the issue of technology and  children's health? 

I have a great recommendation for a movie tonight - perfect for parents. 

The new film Generation Zapped  -which was just screened at NIH Conference- is allowing for a full exclusive stream online for one week. It also won best documentary at the DC Independent Film Fest. 

The movie is online streaming for free until September 21, 2018. (It is also available on itunes and Amazon if you want the extended version with full interviews with scientists). Generation ZAPPED is a solution-based documentary that investigates the health concerns raised about children and wireless technology. Interviews with 20 experts.

Link to watch the film online is here https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/09/15/generation-zapped.aspx?utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20180915Z1_UCM&et_cid=DM232929&et_rid=420323704

I  just presented on this issue at NIH Healthy Buildings Roundtable Conference with several experts working on the issue. This film was streamed throughout the entire conference at NIH for two days. https://hibr.nih.gov/conference/2018-hibr-conference .   

If you are interested in presenting the film with an expert Q an A at school or community center or civic association afterwards please let me know. Im glad to present anytime on practical solutions for health technology.  There is a lot we can do!  

Warmly, 

Theodora Scarato 

Some Maryland Parents Pushing Schools, State to Bring Back Wired Internet

Two years ago, the Washington Waldorf School in Bethesda was undergoing some major renovations when school leaders decided to give the school more than just a new roof. They also installed dozens of internet wall jacks where you can plug in an ethernet cable. Yes, the school was going back to wired internet.

“We were already partially wired,” says Jennifer Page, the school’s faculty chair. “And we just extended that. We put drops in all of our classroom and we added extra drops in our high schools.”

It was an interesting move. Just 12 percent of public classrooms across the country report they don’t have a Wi-Fi connection that supports all students — a number the Federal Communications Commission is trying to get to zero by 2020. But as schools and the federal government try to expand internet and Wi-Fi access, the Waldorf School brought back wires...

http://wamu.org/story/17/10/09/maryland-parents-pushing-schools-state-bring-back-wired-internet/

Maryland Children's Environmental Health and Protection Advisory Council adopted a report on WiFi Radiation in Schools in Maryland

Children’s Environmental Health

Children's Environmental Health and Protection Advisory Council

Established by the General Assembly in 2000, the purpose Children's Environmental Health and Protection Advisory Council (CEHPAC)  is to identify environmental hazards that may affect children's health and recommend solutions to those hazards.

CEHPAC reviews existing and proposed regulations and servea as a source of information and education for the public, professionals, State agencies, the General Assembly and the Governor regarding environmental hazards.

http://phpa.dhmh.maryland.gov/OEHFP/EH/Pages/WiFiCEHPAC.aspx

Gaithersburg Parent: "rolling out technology in our schools must be done with health and safety oversight" @DelegateKaiser @SenatorZucker @CherylKagan @JheanelleW @delsheilahixson @EricLuedtke

From: Lisa Cline
Date: Wed, Feb 15, 2017
Subject: HB866 is Overdue.
To: steven.arentz@house.state.md.us
Cc: anne.kaiser@house.state.md.us, frank.turner@house.state.md.us, kathy.afzali@house.state.md.us,
 bilal.ali@house.state.md.us, Darryl.Barnes@house.state.md.us, Jason.Buckel@house.state.md.us, 
 Eric.Ebersole@house.state.md.us, sheila.hixson@house.state.md.us, 
 Kevin.Hornberger@house.state.md.us, carolyn.howard@house.state.md.us,
 Bob.Long@house.state.md.us, eric.luedtke@house.state.md.us, 
 nick.mosby@house.state.md.us, Edith.Patterson@house.state.md.us, 
 Teresa.Reilly@house.state.md.us, April.Rose@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, 
 jheanelle.wilkins@house.state.md.us


Dear Delegate Arentz,

Too many of us do not fully understand how legislation becomes law and what you do in Annapolis during each a session. I am no different, but I would hate for intimidation to get in the way of expressing my deep passion for passing HB866. 

As a parent and PTA president in Montgomery County and an active advocate for shielding children from a.) things they cannot see (like wifi radiation and blue light), and b.) things they should not have to understand at such a young age, HB866 will change everything for our children during the 6+ hours they "live" at school.

The beauty of HB866 is there is nothing objectionable in it. There is no downside. 

Computers are arguably very valuable 21st Century learning tools, particularly for those who need an extra push to engage in the learning process. But rolling out technology in our schools must be done with health and safety oversight. Montgomery County Public Schools, for one, lacks that overseeing body. 

I have met with Mr. Sherwin Collette, Chief Technology Officer at MCPS. I have spoken with Dr. Andy Zuckerman, Chief Operating Officer at MCPS. I have asked officials within County government.... "Who is making sure these computers aren't hurting the kids?" I have yet to find a person, or an admission, that our childrens' health is being protected from the ill effects of computer use. Meanwhile, radon is being measured and mitigated, and pesticide use is being fully disclosed and carefully deployed. 

The known dangers.

There are over 400 peer-reviewed studies that say RF radiation — the kind emitted from laptop computers and overhead routers — causes everything from nausea and headaches to DNA damage and cancer.

Our daughter died of cancer. After her death, I was asked to participate in a study out of the University of Minnesota that analyzed environmental factors surrounding pediatric leukemia cases. It was then that I realized just how many invisible pollutants swirl around our children and how much more vulnerable a population they are than adults. RF radiation is a definite culprit.

The effects of blue light on our childens' eye health is even more conclusive. Retinal damage is inevitable without proper protection. Blue light filters cost about $20. Why wouldn't we outfit all the Chromebooks with these safety mechanisms?

Digital addiction is an undeniable reality that is befalling the Computer Generation. Device use affects the brain much like cocaine. Any parent of teenagers will tell you how real this is. And the research is deep.

Now what?

I don't blame anyone for the severe lack of "tech health" being taught in our schools. It's all so new. But now is the time to complement the technology roll-out with safety measures to go with it. 

Please pass HB866 for the kids who are counting on us, and the parents who are counting on you.

Very kindly,

Lisa Cline

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Churchill, Blair High School, Bells Mill and Takoma Park Middle MCPS Wi-Fi Health Risks

Doctors Present Evidence of Wireless Radiation Impacts on Children

The nation's leading experts on wireless radiation and human health impacts participate in a live press conference prior to their panel at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting in Baltimore. Featuring Dr. Devra Davis, Dr. Hugh Taylor, Dr. Martha Herbert and Dr.Catherine Steiner-Adair

http://www.grassrootsinfo.org/pc50316.html

Pediatric researchers suggest potential dangers for children from cellphone exposure

Doctors and scientists from Harvard and Yale medical schools warned Tuesday that pregnant mothers limit their unborn babies exposure to potentially harmful radiation by keeping cellphones away from their tummies because of the possible impact on brain development.
The doctors offered the advice during the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Baltimore where they also said parents should limit their children’s use of cellphones, iPads and other wireless technology because it can cause behavioral and concentration problems.
There is little research on the impact of the microwave radiation and radio frequency radiation emitted by wireless devices on children, but the doctors said early studies provide enough evidence to suggest that parents should take caution.
The doctors comments could stoke a longtime debate over the health dangers of cellphones, but the industry disputed their warning...

http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/blog/bal-cell-phones-child-brain-story.html

Why Phones Don’t Belong in School

A recent Los Angeles Times’ article reveals that teachers across America must compete with students’ phones for attention. Matt Miles, a high school teacher from Fairfax County, Virginia, says the problem is getting worse: “Whereas 5 years ago, I could quietly ask the one rebellious student to put his or her phone away with no real interruption to class, doing that today would require multiple conversations with a majority of my class.”

The push for students to use phones while at school, and even during class, comes from this generation of preteens and teens who — as illustrated by the recent documentary Screenagers — struggle to stop playing with their phones. Adding fuel to the fire are tech pundits who claim that smartphones provide learning opportunities for children. Parents, too, may want to communicate by phone with their kids throughout the school day.

But new research is questioning the wisdom of allowing phones in school, as studies reveal this practice is putting students’ learning and safety at risk...

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-freed/why-phones-dont-belong-in-school_b_9666730.html

BOE Member: Safety in Technology Committee is Needed

This did not happen in Montgomery County.  

A motion to set up a Safety in Technology Committee was made by Ann Miller, Board of Education member in Baltimore County.  In the video clip of the March 1, 2016, Baltimore County Board of Education meeting you can watch as the Baltimore County Board of Education immediately shelved the motion without discussion. 

Sound familiar? That's how MABE trains Board of Education members in Maryland.  MABE indoctrinates school board members to not follow Robert's Rules of Order, and to not allow Board members to speak unless they have pre-approval from the chair.  No public process is allowed. Watch the video to see how that looks in a live Board of Education meeting.  

"Mr. Collette does not have training in public health" Fox 5 Live Interview on the MCPS Wi-Fi Health Concerns

Watch this new piece from Fox 5 Covering MCPS WiFi issue 

Learn more at the parents blog on wifi issues at http://safetechforschoolsmaryland.blogspot.com/ 

Fox5: Health Concerns over Wi-Fi Technology Exposure in MCPS

BREAKING: Student access to school wifi temporarily suspended. Long Term Solution to Use FIBER

Beginning last Friday, Students won’t be able to access the school’s wireless network with personal devices due to a system overload. The measure is temporary until MCPS addresses the system overload during winter break, computer support technician Greg Thomas said.

“Because of so many students having cell phones that are on all the time, there’s been a spike in the demand,” Thomas said. “We’re overloading the equipment, and it’s failing.”

Around 1500 student devices are routinely connected to the wireless network and have exceeded its capacity, leaving staff members unable to use their personal devices and students unable to connect to the internet on Chromebooks, according to an email from Thomas. As a result, the MCPS Wide Area Network department turned off login access to students on Thursday. Thomas said that this measure will combat issues teachers faced because of their inability to access the Internet.

“If a teacher has a class using Chromebooks, he might not be able to connect,” Thomas said.
Comcast’s attempt to install a modem to provide temporary improvement was unsuccessful, principal Alan Goodwin said in a follow-up email. An MCPS team will be at the school to address the issue during winter break, he said.

MCPS is also working on a long-term solution using fiber. This solution will take several months, but will be a major improvement, Thomas said.

While it won’t be long before the Wi-Fi is up and running again, Thomas said that he thinks there will be some improvements now that students can’t use their phones as effectively.

“Students will be learning more and have fewer distractions, Thomas said. “I don’t think most students’ cell phone uses are part of the educational program here. You can still chat with people without using a phone.”

http://www.theblackandwhite.net/2015/12/17/breaking-student-access-to-school-wifi-temporarily-suspended/

First US Public School District Limits Wi-Fi Radiation Exposure to Students and Staff

Instructions for "Best Practices" are posted in every classroom and include:

- Turn off the device when not in use
- Turn Wi-Fi on only when needed
- Always place the mobile device on a solid surface
- Viewing distance should be a minimum of 12 inches from the screen
- Specific product information guides are available through the IT department
- We ask that staff members regularly remind and instruct students in using best practices in regards to mobile devices


http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2688700

Video: Dr. Lennart Hardell versus MCPS Administrator

MCPS: Please Get The Facts on Wi-Fi From Dr. Lennart Hardell  

Takoma Park Meetings: Wireless Technology in Schools and Your Child’s Health

Due to strong interest, Safe Tech For School Maryland has set up three more information nights on the issue of Children and Safe Technology. We invite all parents, teachers, PTA officers, community members and MCPS decision makers. The multimedia presentations will be interactive and we aim to answer all your questions in full. 

This video is the trailer from a new film on the issue worth watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmD78iqHsSY

• Did you know The American Academy of Pediatrics is calling on our government to take action on this issue?  
• Did you know countries are actually banning Wi-Fi for young children because the cost is too great? 
• Did you know that over 20 countries have set various precautionary policies related to this radiation? 
• Is the current technology rollout  sustainable and environmentally friendly?

Learn how you can use technology safer at home and at school. 

Come, Be Informed And Ask Questions 

Thursday October 29th Takoma Park Middle School 7:00 PM

Topic: Intro on Wi-Fi in School and Federal Safety Standards

Thursday, November 5th Takoma Park Elementary 7:00 PM

Topic: Review of International Policy and Protections for Children

Thursday, November 12 Takoma Park Elementary 7:00 PM

Topic: Technology and Environmental Sustainability

Safe Tech for Schools Maryland

For more info: safetechforschoolsmaryland.blogspot.com

WUSA9: MCPS parents concerned about wireless routers in school