There’s been plenty of discussion about the potential
of distractions caused by Wi-Fi usage in the classroom. Now, some are worried,
and even going to court, over the possibility of health issues caused by its
use.
A lawsuit in England alleged that electromagnetic
hypersensitivity syndrome (EHS), a condition in which electromagnetic radiation
emitted from wireless technology is alleged to cause a variety of symptoms, caused
the suicide of a 15-year-old who suffered from severe allergies supposedly made
worse by the radiation. In France, cellphones are banned from nursery schools
and day-care facilities because it’s feared the devices will cause cancer, while
a French court awarded a 39-year-old woman disability payments for her
struggles with electromagnetic hypersensitivity.
The movement is gaining momentum in the United States.
The Facebook group Parents Against Wi-Fi in Schools has around 2,300 likes and
the city of Berkeley, CA, passed an ordinance in 2015 that mandates cellphone
shops post notices about exposure to radio frequency radiation. The parents of
a 12-year-old boy sued a private school in Southborough, MA, claiming the
strength of the school’s Wi-Fi signal caused his illness.
The
problem is, EHS isn’t recognized as a medical condition and it’s never been
demonstrated that cellphone radiation causes any health risk. Addressing the
concerns with transparent policies about Internet usage is one solution. Making
it possible for students to opt out of in-school Wi-Fi is another, according to
a report in Education Dive.
