March 7, 2013. 11:35 am • Section: B.C. Education Report
The B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) is headed for what will likely be a hot debate about health worries regarding wi-fi in schools.
The Nicola Valley Teachers’ Union has submitted a resolution to the BCTF annual general meeting in mid-March, calling for wired connections rather than wireless and/or routers with on-off switches in all schools, says a story in the Kamloops Daily News.
“No one disagrees that wireless routers and wireless laptops and tablets emit radiation, however evidence is piling up that wi-fi radiation may in fact be harmful,” teacher Yvonne Lord is quoted as saying. Teachers are calling for more testing to prove wireless is safe, the story says.
There have also been suggestions that each B.C. school district should have one elementary school and one secondary school that are free of Wi-Fi so that families have choice, says the story by Sylvie Paillard. That fits with a position endorsed last year by the B.C. Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils.
This issue has also been the subject of much discussion in the Victoria school district. Trustees Deborah Nohr and Diane McNally have tweeted this week about a parent information meeting Thursday night to discuss wi-fi in schools. (7 p.m. at the Victoria West Community Centre.)
As far as I know, Saanich is still the only B.C. school district that has a policy restricting wi-fi use in its elementary schools.
The BCTF was hit with criticism the last time it dipped into this issue.
