Erin Brockovich move over!

(click headline for full text)
The DeKalb School Watch Blog featured us back on August 4, 2011, in an article titled Get.the.Cell.Out and we just realized that we never linked to that write-up, which actually contained an excellent summary of what went down the evening of the DCSS vote.

Since the meeting summary and other details might be helpful to the people out there who might be just trying to catch up with everything, we thought it would be a good time to post a copy of that article here.  And, here is a link to their new site:  DeKalb School Watch Two.

Get.the.Cell.Out



Erin Brockovich move over!  We have a mom in town who has posted videos documenting the sheer volume of cell towers in the area in a convincing effort to ban them from school properties (there are at least 86 within a 4 mile radius of Brockett ES already).

As many of you are aware, the board contemplated a 30 year contract with T-Mobile (in the process of being acquired by AT&T) placing cell towers on 12 of our school properties. In exchange, each of the PTAs of those schools will get a one time $25,000 donation and the school system will collect monthly rent on the towers.

After serious community outcry, the board dropped three schools from the list (Brockett, Medlock and Meadowview), however plans were approved to build these monstrous structures on the remaining nine school properties.

Below are my notes from the July board meeting where the subject was discussed and then passed over the objections of Nancy Jester and Donna Edler.

McChesney proposes to remove Meadowview, Brockett and Medlock from the cell tower proposal for 12 schools. Question by Elder to McChesney. Why? McC - we've heard from these communities and they've been clear, so I'm supporting their opinion. Speaks: is there a grace period so that other communities can speak up but haven't had the opportunity [audience claps and Womack admonishes them]. Is there a mechanism for other communities to let the district know that they have an issue? Tyson - no option other than to pull the item. Womack: isn't there a 6 month window? Donahue: T-Mobile has 6 months for [due diligence]. Jester: concerned about many things. I don't like the timing - we didn't get this till Friday. Didn't get financials. Term is too long. I favor an opt in rather than opt out for communities. There may be others we haven't heard from so I am reticent to support.


Edler: Happy to speak on this matter - I've had concerns. Communities have cited health reasons. I rep district 7, but also entire county so I'm not one to pick and choose for health of a particular community. So if we take out 3, I suggest we take out all 12. [Applause and Womack again admonishes.] Lots more discussion. Roberts rules out the window. [Sorry - got distracted - missed some.] I think Edler took out all the others but Lakeside, Briarlake and Meadowview(?). I think Walker insisted on Roberts Rules. So Womack puts out original motion and takes off Brockett, Medlock and Meadowview. Vote. Passed 7-1. Whew!


Edler: Amendment to the motion. Remove the remaining schools we identified before: Jolly, Margaret Harris, MLK, Narvie, Princeton and Smokerise ES. Cunningham: we don't have towers at all in South DeKalb - we're losing signals left and right. We want towers. SCW: I agree. Meadowview is smack dab in the middle of a community. Cunningham can have towers since they have a lot of land, but Meadowview is in a community so yes, it needs removed from the list. Edler: It's not the school system's business to provide cell and internet service to the county.
Vote: on Edler's amendment - eliminates all towers. Motion fails.
Main motion with original amendment: Passes 6:2 (Edler and Jester)

Some of these communities are only going to get a cell tower because they weren't aware of the plan and/or didn't have the time or focus to organize a campaign against them. Apparently, there is still time to fight this action. Visit the newly formed Facebook page, Get.The.Cell.Out, for more info.
To view a map highlighting the locations of the towers, click here. (The locations removed from the list are indicated by a flag.)

UPDATE:
Here's the NEW link to the countywide survey:
Get the Cell Out of DeKalb County Schools

And here's a link to the FOX 5 report on the cell towers:

Opinions Divided Over Cell Towers at DeKalb Schools: MyFoxATLANTA.com

PTA President Admits Prior Knowledge of Cell Tower Proposal

As reported on DeKalb County School Watch blog:

Words were exchanged in anger, tempers flared and PTA President Evelyn Cunningham, wife of school board representative Jesse “Jay” Cunningham, admitted she had been aware of talks with the DeKalb County School System (DCSS) regarding the cell tower proposal for more than a year. She offered no explanation about why the subject was not announced to the parents or community until May, just a month before the school board was scheduled to vote.
Cunningham approached the group of approximately 12 - 14 people who had gathered outside the entrance to Martin Luther King, Jr. High School around 11 am. Monday, Oct 24, to inspect the location where they recently learned a T-mobile cell tower will reside for the next 30 years, thanks to the school board’s approval to lease its property, along with eight other school properties, in exchange for about $400 a month which will be deposited into the county’s general fund. The deal also includes a one-time payment of $25,000 that will also be deposited into the general fund, but those funds will be “directed” by the PTA or a School Booster Club that the school wishes to support.

While the group was assembled outside the school, a spokesperson for the local non-profit group “Get the Cell Out - Atlanta” was also being interviewed by a reporter from WXIA-TV for a story related to SPLOST IV. That story has not yet aired. As the group was disassembling and preparing to return to their vehicles or walk back to their nearby homes, Ms. Cunningham approached them and demanded to know their names and what had been reported to the news media. After several minutes, the group convinced the PTA officer to calm down and discuss her concerns rationally, which is when she admitted to having known about the cell towers for more than a year. When asked if she received the information from her husband, she replied that it was her understanding that lots of people in the PTA were aware of the proposal and it was not specific to anything her husband told her directly.

The DeKalb County Board of Education Administrative Rule O.C.G.A. 20-2-1160 requires: "… public forums from time to time, especially when dealing with controversial issues or matters of deep community concern, to receive input from citizens on policy issues, the educational program, and school administration."

The DCSS official position on the subject of public notification has been that public meetings were held at each of the schools once carrier T-mobile had been selected. Critics claim the flyer sent home with children was vague and did not convey the message that the meeting was to discuss the intent to place cell towers on the school property.

DeKalb County zoning laws specific to the permitting of cell towers has language that prohibit cell phone or cell tower companies from constructing towers, which emit low levels of RF radiation 24 hours a day, within close proximity of residential neighborhoods unless there are no other suitable alternatives. T-mobile representatives stated during the school meetings in May that the schools were selected because they were the “easiest” choice for them to pursue, not the last alternative as required by the county.

T-mobile also reported in the community meetings, according to one parent who attended the meeting at Brockett Elementary in Tucker, that they did not want to build their towers in neighborhoods where they are not wanted. The community members and neighborhood associations near Martin Luther King, Jr. High School have stated that they have been shut out of the process completely, only learning recently that a 150’ tower with a base size of 60’ x 60’ has been approved by the school board.”

At the July 11 board meeting, Jay Cunningham spoke out on the cell tower issue, stating that the community was in favor. In an interview with a reporter from the Crossroads newspaper in July, Cunningham said “Everybody has their view,” adding that he only had one call opposing the proposal. “Everybody had no problem with it. I didn’t hear anything negative from the community.” Read more: CrossRoadsNews - Cell Towers Going to Schools

“It is very disappointing and makes you wonder if you can trust anyone in this school system,” stated one of the people who witnessed the altercation between the PTA President and the community members who say they would like some answers.

“We have fought things like this before,” said one man from a neighborhood right next door to the school. “This is the first time something like this has happened where they plan to allow zoning for something and we do not hear about it until it is too late.”

For similar meeting held by School Board Member Paul Womack at Briarlake Elementary, click here: Womack T-mobile Cell Tower Meeting.

Can You Hear Me Now?

So this is what they meant by RF radiation?

Happy Halloween everyone!

If you want to read about something really scary, check out the mention we received on the DeKalb County School Watch: http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2011/10/pta-president-admits-prior-knowledge-of.html.

If you cannot trust your PTA to look out for the health of the children, then you have to make sure YOU are keeping up to date with school board decisions yourself. If you can't make the meetings, then you can always watch them on Comcast Channel 24 live or reveiw them a couple months after the fact on the school board's website. The next meeting will be held on Nov. 7 at 6 p.m.

To review the vote on the cell tower that happened this past July, click this link: http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/pds24/vod/ , locate the July 11, 2011, work session and business meeting link andd click on it to begin the video. Once it starts, you can skip to 2:41:30 in the video.

Meeting Tonight at MLK, Jr. High School: Open to the Public

Pending final confirmation, a meeting is scheduled for:

Date: Tonight, Tuesday, October 25
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Martin Luther King, Jr. High School

PLEASE NOTE: It is preferred that children do not attend this meeting as it will be covering serious subject matters requiring your attention. If other arrangements cannot be made and your child or children must attend, please plan to bring something with you that will keep them entertained quietly so as to not interrupt the speaker(s) or create a disturbance.

Jay Cunningham, school board member for District 5, will discuss:

* The T-mobile cell tower approval for MLK High School
* Status of Funding and Construction for the Current SPLOST III project (MLK addition)
* SPLOST IV project list

The meeting is open to the public. Parents and members of the communities surrounding the following schools are urged to attend as they are a part of District 5 and decisions made regarding public school property being leased to commercial entities for the sole purpose of making profit from the surrounding communities is an issue that will set a precedent that may affect all schools in the district:

Elementary Schools
Browns Mill ES
Canby Lane ES
Murphey Candler ES
Chapel Hill ES
Edward L. Bouie Theme ES
Fairington ES
* Flat Rock ES
* Narvie Harris ES
Marbut Theme ES
Bob Mathis ES
Rainbow ES
Stoneview ES

Middle Schools
Chapel Hill MS
Columbia MS
Lithonia MS
Miller Grove MS
Salem MS

High Schools
* M.L. King Jr. HS
Lithonia HS
Miller Grove HS
Southwest DeKalb HS

Other Schools, Centers, and Facilities
Arabia Mountain HS
DeKalb Transition Academy
Wesley Chapel Center

* Schools marked with an asterix are already approved for cell towers.

Other cell tower schools that may wish to send parent or community representatives include:
Jolly Elementary School
Lakeside High School
Margaret Harris Comprehensive School
Princeton Elementary School
Briarlake Elementary
Smoke Rise Elementary School

Mr. Jesse Jay Cunningham Jr. Contact Details:
Work Phone: 678.676.0027
Email: jay_cunningham@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Before tonight's meeting at 7 p.m. at MLK, Jr. High School, it is recommended that you watch this video of the school board vote:
http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/pds24/vod/
Scroll down until you locate the July 11, 2011, work session and business meeting link.
Skip to 2:41:30 in the video.
NOTE: It is important to watch the video as transcripts provided from the meeting are not fully accurate.

And, that you review this article: http://www.crossroadsnews.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Cell+Towers+Going+to+Schools%20&id=14780495

And, please read the transcript from the meeting regarding cell towers that was held at Brairlake Elementary School with board member Paul Womack:
http://dekalbschoolwatch.blogspot.com/2011/09/transcript-from-briarcliff-es-pta.html

Coming to a School Near You - RF Radiation 24/7

ATTN: Do you live near any of these schools? Flat Rock Elementary School, Jolly Elementary School, Lakeside High School, Margaret Harris Comprehensive School, M.L. King, Jr. High School, Narvie Harris Elementary School, Princeton Elementary School, Briarlake Elementary and Smoke Rise Elementary School.

Some international studies profiled on www.centerforsaferwireless.org/Living-Near-Cell-Towers.php
have found the following symptoms reported by people forced to live near cell tower base stations:


“sleep disorders (58%), headaches (41%), nervousness or distress (19%), fatigue (18%), and concentration difficulties were most common complaints. Complainants related their symptoms most frequently to exposure to mobile phone base stations…”


"...headache, sleep disturbance, discomfort, etc. 100m for irritability, depression, loss of memory, dizziness, libido decrease, etc. Women significantly more often than men (p<0.05) complained of headache, nausea, loss of appetite, sleep disturbance, depression, discomfort and visual perturbations.”


“People living in the vicinity of base stations report various complaints mostly of the circulatory system, but also of sleep disturbances, irritability, depression, blurred vision, concentration difficulties, nausea, lack of appetite, headache and vertigo.”


"Exposure was associated with discomfort, irritability, appetite loss, fatigue, headache, difficulties concentrating and sleep disturbance."


So, do YOU know where DeKalb County's School Board has allowed T-mobile's next set of cell towers to go? If not, you better check the map below because, chances are pretty good there might be one coming to a school near year. If not, just wait. If the county or the taxpayers do not stand up to this illegal signing of a lease for active school property to a commercial entity without public input, it will become an increasingly easier action to take when they need extra money for a pet project or to cover up money already missing from our general fund.


Click on photo to see enlarged version.

If you have a tower on the way or want to speak up now before it happens to you, please use the link on the left column of this site to sign our petiton. And, call your county and state representatives to let them know that you want to GET THE CELL OUT OF DEKALB COUNTY residentially zoned neighborhoods and public schools!