WSB-TVNote to GTCO fans, members and other supporters: We have been asked to provide a link to this original news coverage from WSB-TV as there has been a lot of interest in determining how the schools removed from the original cell tower list were able to do without much time by which to organize.
This is the news segment that aired the night before the school board's July 11 vote in which three DeKalb County schools were removed from the original list of 12: Medlock Elementary, Meadowview Elementary and Brockett Elementary.
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Originally Posted: 8:27 am EDT July 11, 2011 |
We were very grateful that the media took interest in this story and covered the topic. We do believe that it was one of the most successful methods that helped the community surrounding Brockett Elementary show the DCSS that they did not want a cell tower in the middle of their neighborhood.
However, the members of the community who signed the petition also got involved in other ways, including calling the members of the board (not just the ones in their district), and distributing flyers and email campaigns to the communitiy as well as organizing a letter-writing and email campaign directed at both the school board as well as the county planning and zoning officials. Organizers also hit the various education and political blog sources available today, such as the DeKalb County School Watch Blog and The Patch.com to help spread the word and gain support. And, an old-fashioned door-to-door paper petition supplement to the online version proved to be key in putting the group over the top of its needed signature goals.
Discussions with the principal, PTA and School Board were vital, at that time, to ensuring they were aware of the concerns of the community. The active community members also reached out to schools and communities in other markets who had experienced similar battles with T-mobile to determine what methods of protest were the most successful.
The online petition was key to showing support for their protest in a publically-documented format that would be nearly impossible for the board to deny. The opposition was based on 4 factors: Improper Notification, Health and Safety Risks, Decline of Property Values and No Need Based on Current Coverage and Pending Merger of ATT/T-Mobile. While it is true that the FCC regulation of 1996 prohibits zoning officials to deny a cell tower permit based on health factors alone, there is nothing that states that school board officials cannot consider health implications. In fact, one could argue that the school board should absolutely consider health implications to students and the community in everything they do since they have the primary responsibility for the welfare of minor children in their care for a large portion of the day.
The goal that DeKalb County School System has linked to their cell tower initiative is one that states they are looking to "ensure fiscal responsibility in order to maintain safe and healthy learning environments for children." GTCO-ATL strongly urges parents and taxpayers to challenge the decision of this school board based on the fact that cell towers are neither safe nor healthy. And, the board has approved a budget that has no gaps in financial support that would require utilizing an outside source of revenue on top of what taxpayers already contribute.
The petition, which including more than 100 names from parents, homeowners, residents, taxpayers and business owners also provided verifiable research facts to back up all points of protest and mentioned that this opposition also included a protest on behalf of all schools in DeKalb County.
It was urged that the board, at the very least, simply postpone its vote until after school was back in session so that true discussion groups could be formed and the pro's and con's of the proposal could be discussed by the people that would be affected. The actual draft version of the lease being considered had only been made available to the public for approximately 2-3 days prior to the vote.
Unfortunately, the board decided to go ahead and vote anyway, with the understanding that there would be a 6 month "due diligence period" that other communities could utilize to voice their concerns. We've now been told that for most schools, this will not be the case as the normal zoning process will not be followed and public input will not be solicited or considered.
Unfortunately, the board decided to go ahead and vote anyway, with the understanding that there would be a 6 month "due diligence period" that other communities could utilize to voice their concerns. We've now been told that for most schools, this will not be the case as the normal zoning process will not be followed and public input will not be solicited or considered.
We are shocked to read quotes in various news outlets from board members Jay Cunningham, Paul Womack and Gene Walker that state that they did not know about any health concerns or were unaware that the public had not been properly notified of the meetings. Our group, along with several others, have all come forward to state that we were doing everything possible to warn the board and urge them to slow down and consider the public's opinons before voting on this topic.
We worked very hard to put this information into the hands of each and every board member as well as the Interim Superintendent, Ramona Tyson, prior to the June board meeting when they were expected to vote and then again in time for the July meeting when the vote actually took place. We hand delivered hardcopies to them at the public meeting in June and we emailed and wrote letters that would have reached them before the July vote. It was these forms of communication that led board member Don McChestney to add Brockett to the list for removal. So, obviously, our message was getting through, or at least to those board members who were willing to open their own mail or read their own emails and return their own calls.
We worked very hard to put this information into the hands of each and every board member as well as the Interim Superintendent, Ramona Tyson, prior to the June board meeting when they were expected to vote and then again in time for the July meeting when the vote actually took place. We hand delivered hardcopies to them at the public meeting in June and we emailed and wrote letters that would have reached them before the July vote. It was these forms of communication that led board member Don McChestney to add Brockett to the list for removal. So, obviously, our message was getting through, or at least to those board members who were willing to open their own mail or read their own emails and return their own calls.
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