Renowned expert denied voice in Greater Victoria School District

It's been suggested that members of this site might be interested in hearing what's going on with the Greater Victoria School District. Because concerns were raised in the spring and again in the fall about the implementation of Wi-Fi they created a committee.

You can listen to Board of Education Chair, Tom Ferris, address the issue on CBC On the Island on January 24, 2011. The segment starts about 20:30 Does it sound to you like the board is trying to pacify parents?

http://www.cbc.ca/ontheisland/

The school district says they are most interested in the science and experts. What do you think?

Press Release - February 7, 2011

Submitted by: Citizens for Safe Technology Victoria (CST-Victoria)

Renowned expert denied voice in Greater Victoria School District

A Committee of School District 61 is holding meetings about the widespread implementation of Wi-Fi technology in our public schools. The purpose of these information-gathering meetings is for the Wi-Fi Committee to make recommendations to school board trustees after all presented information has been gathered and reviewed. The third of three planned meetings will take place Monday, February 28th from 5:00-7:00pm at the SD61 Office, 556 Boleskine Road, Victoria.

The Chair of the Greater Victoria School Board as well as the Chair of the Wi-Fi Committee have both stated in the media that when considering the matter of Wi-Fi in schools they’re most interested in hearing the science and what the experts have to say.

Dr. David Carpenter, world-renowned scientist, educator and humanitarian, is the Director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University of Albany, New York. He has submitted a presentation to the Greater Victoria School District 61 Wi-Fi Committee as per the specifications outlined on their website (www.sd61.bc.ca/wifi.aspx).

It was requested that Dr. Carpenter be given the opportunity to present via Skype at the February 28th meeting – given the travel distance from New York – for a 3 minute presentation,which would also include follow-up questions from the committee.

On Friday February 4, Citizens for Safe Technology-Victoria were informed that the Chair of the Wi-Fi committee had stated the following, “Dr. Carpenter’s information will be provided to our committee along with other information that we have by February 14th. That is the cut-off date for receiving presentation materials for the meeting on February 28th.Unfortunately, if Dr. Carpenter wants to make a summary of his presentation in the allotted time, he must do so in person. We are not providing Skype or teleconferences.”

Citizens for Safe Technology immediately contacted the Committee Chair to respectfully request that this decision be reconsidered.

CST-Victoria pointed out that, “This contradicts the Greater Victoria School District 61 message that 21st Century Learning will provide opportunities for student learning, using technology to connect knowledge with others around the world. Dr. Carpenter is physically located in New York. For him to travel to Victoria for a three minute presentation and questions is impractical and unnecessary, given the ease and practicality of current and widely-used communication tools such as Skype. This also contradicts the principle of inclusive stakeholder input, allowing full disclosure in the process of meaningfully, responsible decision making, and in this case bringing forward the scientific evidence that is highly relevant to the district’s decision around Wi-Fi implementation and student health and safety.”

The WiFi Committee Chair responded today: “We are being consistent in our approach as we have not, and are not planning, on offering presenters to use media or other devices during their summary. If someone in your group wishes to summarize Dr. Carpenter’s presentation in the 3 minutes allotted, that would be fine…”

Dr. Carpenter is not requesting anything different than any other presenter has had access to – except the ability to communicate in real time using simple technology, and therefore the ability to respond to questions and defend the science.

If the Greater Victoria School District is promoting 21st Century Learning and all the possibilities it has to offer students, why in this instance won’t they utilize 21st Century Communication? This contradicts the District’s underlying principle to use technology to provide limitless opportunities to students to access information from anywhere in the world. Nor does it make sense, that given the opportunity to access the most recent peer reviewed and published scientific information directly from the experts, they would choose not to hear it.

District officials have stated that they do not want its students to fall behind. Instead they want them to keep up with the technological changes in the world so they are better prepared for the market place.

Due to the serious nature of this review of wireless internet in our schools, it should be expected every reasonable action will be taken by the Wi-Fi Committee to accommodate all qualified experts who have requested to present evidence on potential effects and recommendations that provide prudent direction for school officials to take until the long term health outcomes for children are better understood.

——30—–

CST-Victoria are a group of parents and citizens concerned about the potential adverse health effects to students and staff in our public schools that could occur as a result of chronic, excessive exposure to radio frequency radiation (RFR) emitted from wireless internet routers (Wi-Fi). CST-Victoria is calling for the Board of School District 61 to adopt the Precautionary Principle due to growing scientific evidence that supports low level microwave radiation causes adverse biological and neurological effects that in time could lead to many chronic diseases including cancer. Until this untested technology can be proven safe around children and pregnant woman there should be an immediate moratorium on any further installations of wireless (Wi-Fi) technology in our schools.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Victoria, BC:
Karen Weiss – 250-721-4129 (will respond to any inquiries after 3pm)
Tammy Jeske – 250-478-9881

Vancouver, BC:
Una St. Clair, CST Executive Director – 604-532-1863

www.citizensforsafetechnology.org

My sons are waiting for Wifi access, they are pissed off that they can not wirelessly access the internet at school unless they pay over $30 a month to be able to do so.

There is a local group working to have local governances decisions made based on a scientific basis - Scientific Victoria. They are in favour of wifi access in the schools.

I would wager a bet that virtually every school within the district is already exposed to a multitude of signals from nearby homes and businesses.

I would wager a bet that virtually every school within the district is already exposed to a multitude of signals from nearby homes and businesses.

That means the School Board will have to build lead shields!

Seems to me that this is common sense. Dr. Carpenter is saying that it is not worth his time to come to Victoria to deliver a 3 minute presentation. The CFST is saying however that the school district should spend the time and money to figure out how to support Skype / Televideo for their public consultation process for the same 3 minute presentation.

As far as I know, Dr. Carpenter has not conducted or can quote a single study to support his belief that wi-fi is harmful and he has been saying the same thing about power lines for years.

But guys radio is a new technology!! Imagine if children were subjected to radio waves! imagine a world with radio waves just floating everywhere doing who knows what. The countless studies are absolutely meaningless as radio waves have a quantum aspect where their harmfull wave form collapses when observed, thus science will never prove how harmful it is. If a radio wave detects any sort of science, it pretends to be harmless. Wi-Fi is worse than normal radio because it's transmitting DIGITAL information, which has sharp corners.

I know 100% wi-fi is harmful as my precious child complains he's tired, has trouble staying focused on tasks, and sometimes feels depressed while at school. yet you take the same child and put him far away from wi-fi, like on our lake vacation, and suddenly his mood is better. Can science explain that? No. But my parenting instinct can, it's evil technology!

But there is a cure, a friend of mine has a great homeopathic treatment for wi-fi sickness. It's a bit expensive but if anyone is suffering I can sell you some for very cheap, just get in touch.

I'm surprised by the response. I expected a more respectful dialogue and more response to school district's approach more than the subject of the committee. The school district is promoting 21st Century Learning yet can't use commonly used skype as a communication tool to, as they promote, connect with the world. They'll allow the scientists presentations to be read but providing no opportunity to defend or explain. It seems okay to criticize a scientists work but not allow them to defend when they're willing. Does this seem like censorship to you?

My sons are waiting for Wifi access, they are pissed off that they can not wirelessly access the internet at school unless they pay over $30 a month to be able to do so.

Does your kid go to a public school where they're offering wireless access for $30 a month? Is this is a high school?

You are the guys harping all over the media that you are not being treated fairly because your "expert" isn't being accomodated. I think that it is fair game to point out that your "scientist" is a physician who is no more "world renowed" as an expert in low energy emf waves than I am.

Other than the various comments he has made to the media to support causes such as yours, the only research I found that the guy ever published was related to PCBs and environmental toxins.

If the guy is in fact some leading authority on the issue then point to some data to back that up in order to justify your cause. Otherwise it just comes across as yet another special interest group trying to work the media and public support to their advantage.

I agree, it is silly to exclude the presentation over Skype.

As for WiFi making students tired.. well.. they're all sitting under fluorescent lights, aren't they?

I expected a more respectful dialogue and more response to school district's approach more than the subject of the committee. ?

On this forum????

What are ya, crazy??

What next, outrage that our schools aren't spending money on infrastructure for flat earth experts? Maybe we could fly some "renown creation-science experts" up from the US to teach the controversy during biology class? Get some phrenologists to feel our kids heads to weed out potentially violent students, I mean you can never be to safe when it comes to children!

Let's try to keep schools places of learning, not pseudoscience and quackery.

^ I have followed the plight of the radio wave since Marconi was the only guy to figure out how to send our only form of electronic entertainment through the air to the radio at our house. Then came the television, where I used to stand on the roof at regular intervals adjusting accordingly the antenna that was directed to KOMO TV in Seattle, KVOS TV in Bellingham, or whatever Canadian crap came out of Vancouver at the time that was seldom watched.

I followed with great interest during the 80’s when Pat McGeer, a BC MLA successfully manufactured a satellite receiving dish out of plywood and tin foil on the lawns of the legislature and was responsible for the saying “If you don’t want us to watch your TV signal, get it out of our backyard.”

To my knowledge no British Columbian has ever been convicted of stealing a satellite signal, thanks to Pat.

Anyone with an iphone today knows that all you need to do is to check your settings/ wifi to see what free network you can join or what locked networks you can’t. Very seldom do you see nothing. The signals are around us 24/7.

A number of years ago there was a top secret project at our local military base that called for a “radio wave free room” for whatever reason. This portion of the project was specified in Division 16 which meant that the electrical contractor was responsible for lining the walls with lead, then lining them with copper, providing flexible ground straps between the doors and the walls, bonding the ground terminal in the electrical receptacles with both the wall materials and the perimeter ground. The door hinges required “ground jumpers” and every other piece of conductive material was connected to the ground drain wire.

Upon final inspection, the electrical engineer who designed the room, along with the architect, the base liaison, and other “authorities having jurisdiction “ inspected the finished product.

The engineer was impressed, the plans, specifications, and adenda had been followed to the “letter”. Every detail was perfect. There was a smile on the contractor’s face as he appeared to pass inspection.

The group was about to open the door and leave the room when……….the engineer’s cell phone rang….

I suppose they could indulge this group with a Skype link without much bother.

But really, it's of little benefit as I'm sure the Doctor's message could be just as easily be heard through a live associate reading his text.

As for the claim, well, extra-ordinary claims require extra-ordinary proof.

Concerned citizens can use protective headgear featuring an armoured lining of no less than 0.025 mm which provides a shielding from the 100 MHz Spectrum of 80 dB per standard mil.

Does your kid go to a public school where they're offering wireless access for $30 a month? Is this is a high school?

No, he would have to use a Rogers Rocket stick which costs you about $30 a month.

^ Is that all you guy's got?.......no Marconi?

... They'll allow the scientists presentations to be read but providing no opportunity to defend or explain. It seems okay to criticize a scientists work but not allow them to defend when they're willing. Does this seem like censorship to you?

No, it doesn't. It may be foolish for the district not to accommodate a presentation by Skype, but their refusal to do so doesn't prevent him from communicating his message to anyone he wishes. Refusing to hear his message delivered in the manner he prefers is nothing like censorship.

Yes, of course, anyone can read his 3 minute presentation but at the end of each presentation the committee has the opportunity to spend approximately 15 minutes asking questions of the presenter. He is not able to explain, defend or speak to the issue or related work he has done on this topic. It would be quite difficult for the person reading his presentation for him to answer questions for him.

I am really surprised how much airtime this group is getting. To restrict our children from having access to the technology will have huge repercussions later in their lives, slow our economic growth and limit their ability to interact with the rest of the world.

Written over wifi on my tablet.

Yes, of course, anyone can read his 3 minute presentation but at the end of each presentation the committee has the opportunity to spend approximately 15 minutes asking questions of the presenter. He is not able to explain, defend or speak to the issue or related work he has done on this topic. It would be quite difficult for the person reading his presentation for him to answer questions for him.

How would the skype work in this instance. Would you run an ethernet cable from your house?