[K12OSN] Slightly OT - Wireless in your school/building

[CLIFFORD ILKAY]

On 03/10/2011 11:06 AM, Joseph Bishay wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I hope everyone is well.
>
> A while back I asked for people's recommendations on what they would
> want -- technology-wise -- in a newly-built school.  We're in the
> process now of building our new school and one of the questions that
> came up was about wifi within the building.  I was wondering if you
> had any recommendations or tips about setting it up.  Granted 99% of
> the machines will be wired, but there are some areas that will be
> designated 'hot-spots' where people can bring in their laptops to
> connect, etc.
>
> I appreciate all your feedback.

Hello,

Be careful. WiFi has lots of health-related concerns surrounding it, 
especially for children. One of the school boards in this area deployed 
it and that started a firestorm of controversy with some parents 
claiming their children were becoming ill from the WiFi. The 
Superintendent of that school board handled it very badly. The parents 
whose children were afflicted were asking for a 90 day moratorium to see 
if the symptoms of their children abated. Instead of doing that, which I 
think would have been an inexpensive and non-confrontational way of 
dealing with the issue, it became a war of experts with the school board 
trotting out their experts who claimed WiFi was safe and the parents 
trotting out their own experts who claimed that WiFi caused all sorts of 
problems. Google for "simcoe school board wifi". Here is one article: 
<http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2010/08/16/wifi-students.html>.

If I were in your shoes, I would consult parents so that I would act 
with their support and I'd be frank about presenting both sides of the 
issue. It's best to have these discussions before you spend money on 
technology that you might have to mothball later due to health concerns. 
I've read enough about the issue that I think there is something going 
on and would be inclined to err on the side of caution.
-- 
Regards,

Clifford Ilkay
Dinamis
1419-3266 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON
Canada  M4N 3P6

<http://dinamis.com>
+1 416-410-3326