An Ontario, Canada school board is defending its decision this week to continue the use of wireless Internet access in classrooms this fall. The debate over the use of Wi-Fi in schools has been fuelling for a while now, with some parents threatening to remove their children from school if the board doesn’t reverse their decision.
While the Simcoe County District School Board insists there is no scientific or medical evidence proving that the dizziness and nausea students are experiencing are the result of Wi-Fi transmissions, parents strongly believe otherwise.
According to CBC News, “the board will not turn off Wi-Fi access in schools this fall despite the concerns of critics who say there’s no evidence to prove radiation from wireless transmitters is safe for children as young as four.”
The board’s superintendant of education had the following to say about the controversy:
“There’s been a lot of information, but there’s nothing definitive that says wireless is causing the issues, so the board affirmed its decision for wireless communications in our schools.”
Seems like an insensitive statement when children’s lives are at stake. Shouldn’t the statement read “As a concerned party with each student’s health and well-being as our top priority, the board has decided to suspend the use of Wi-Fi until we can assure parents that wireless Internet in classrooms is not the cause of the symptoms the children are experiencing.”
Parents addressed their concerns to the board after they realized several children in 14 different schools in the Simcoe area were experiencing similar symptoms which, ironically, all went away on weekends.
Professor Magda Havas, who has studied the affects of wi-fi microwave radiation, has made his thoughts on the situation very clear:
You can read the full story at CBC.ca but we want to know from you: Are you concerned about the use of Wi-Fi in classrooms and the potential negative effects it could have on your children?
