The Sooke School District #62 (BC) has denied the appeal of three young children with an environmental intolerance, medically known as electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). EHS is caused by exposure to Wi-Fi (wireless internet) and other devices emitting microwave, radio frequency radiation. Symptoms commonly associated with microwave sickness include headaches, fast heart rate, chest pain, dizziness, nausea, concentration and memory problems, anxiety, sleep disorders, extreme fatigue, tremors, reoccurring infection, impaired immune function, skin rash, facial flushing, abdominal pain, nosebleeds, ringing in the ears, and more.
Since there is currently NO school in Sooke that is free of Wi-Fi networks, these children have been forced to leave not only their respective schools but the district as well. The parents have formally brought the issue forward, without success, to every level within the school system. Despite their doctors' written requests for the children to avoid Wi-Fi emissions, their medical circumstances have been consistently ignored and denied by the school district. At this time, the parents are appealing their district's decision to the BC Ministry of Education so that their children will be able to return to school. There is no place for discrimination in schools, and a safe learning environment is a right afforded to all Canadian children.
In order to prevent the onset of specific EHS symptoms, the children's parents are asking that their school board provide them with one school in their district that is free of wireless radiation. This would necessitate the use of hardwired communications within that school to make phone calls and to access the Internet.
It is important to note that in May of 2012, in order to accommodate children with EHS and to provide choice for parents who want to heed health warnings to reduce exposure for children who are most vulnerable, the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC) called for a moratorium on Wi-Fi in schools, and for a minimum of one school in each district at each level to be free of Wi-Fi.
BCCPAC Resolutions:
http://www.bccpac.bc.ca/resolutions/wi-fi-classrooms-committee-report
http://www.bccpac.bc.ca/resolutions/parent-choice-regarding-exposure-emf-emissions-src-safety-wi-fi-committee
School districts continue to ignore these resolutions and the voices of many concerned parents.
We are asking now for your support. An attorney specializing in this field has been engaged to represent the concerned families in this appeal process. The projected cost of legal fees is estimated at $5,000. Your donations will help to fund this important legal challenge.
Children in many parts of Canada are faced with this same injustice. If accommodation is achieved in this case, through this appeal process, it will be precedent-setting for other school districts in B.C. and Canada.
CHRC Report: Medical Perspective on Environmental Sensitivities (RF/EMF legitimate trigger for ill symptoms)
http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/sites/default/files/envsensitivity_en.pdf
The Canadian Human Rights Commission recommends accommodation for those with EHS through reasonable measures such as hard wired communications in the working/school environment.
Another video of interest: Wi-Fi in Schools-The Facts (18 min) Note: Australia's A.R.P.A.N.S.A = Health Canada (Safety Code 6)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmcAXZ-o1K4&;list=FLI_8xq3QcBTrnb4665kpsNA
For more info on Wi-Fi health effects:
http://www.safeinschool.org
http://www.citizensforsafetechnology.org