Become a fan of Slashdot on Facebook

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Wireless Networking Education Government The Courts Hardware News

Parents Sue School Over Use of Wi-Fi Network 667

Iphtashu Fitz writes "Both news.com and Wired are reporting that an Illinois school district is being sued by parents over their use of a Wi-Fi network at a local elementary school. Apparently the parents of 5 students are concerned about potential health risks to their children by the Wi-Fi radio signals. The parents are seeking class-action status for their suit, which seeks to halt the use of wireless networks but does not ask for monetary damages. The complete complaint is also available for your reading pleasure on wifinetnews.com." I would never have guessed that the emissions from a wireless network are bad, unlike the healthy emissions given off by the now inescapable cell phones that are everywhere in public.
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Parents Sue School Over Use of Wi-Fi Network

Comments Filter:
  • ZZZZZ.... (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 09, 2003 @07:52PM (#7178037)
    Can't type...radiation...killing..me
  • by fruity1983 ( 561851 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @07:54PM (#7178063)
    For allowing the use of cellphones, FM and AM radio, wireless telephones and hey! How about power lines, too?
  • by Carnildo ( 712617 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @07:57PM (#7178113) Homepage Journal
    Does anyone have the address of these people? I've got a load of tinfoil hats they can use to protect their children!
  • Re:Umm?? (Score:5, Funny)

    by japhyr777 ( 467923 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @08:00PM (#7178153)
    Wait until they find out about Baby Monitors... That'll get them worked up..

    All those hours of the day the poor baby was taking in the radio waves. Possibly right next to it's head. Bzzzzt..
  • Re:Umm?? (Score:5, Funny)

    by GammaTau ( 636807 ) <jni@iki.fi> on Thursday October 09, 2003 @08:01PM (#7178170) Homepage Journal

    2.4ghz Cordless phones use the same freq! What are these parents smoking?

    I don't know... but whatever it is, don't tell the kids. It might be bad influence.

  • by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @08:14PM (#7178321)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • by KoshClassic ( 325934 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @08:15PM (#7178324)
    Wouldn't it be much simpler for the parents simply to have their children wear hats made from aluminum foil? :)
  • by Jouster ( 144775 ) * <slashdot@angel[ ].com ['faq' in gap]> on Thursday October 09, 2003 @08:33PM (#7178516) Homepage Journal
    Backwoods, AL--A group of parents in this small town, calling itself "Citizens for Safer Classrooms", is suing their school district over the installation of what they call "massive portals designed solely for the purpose of subjecting our children to radiation." They claim these portals (which the school district contends are called "windows") are made of material carefully selected to ensure the maximum range of radiation is hitting their children.

    "Well, I think it's an outrage," said Patti Jo, a mother of two children in the school district and one of the plaintiffs in the suit. "It's becoming more and more obvious that they're maliciously subjecting our little boys and girls to a whole host of EMR [electro-magnetic radiation], simply so they can save a few pennies on their electricity bill." She started to cry softly. "We intend to petition for a criminal trial, too. We're claiming it's premeditated murder. The school board should fry," she added.

    Although both sides are trying to reach an agreement on how best to contain the situation, a school board member we contacted, speaking on condition of anonymity, was resolute. "Sure, they get a little UV radiation burned at times," the anonymous boardmember stated. "But have you looked at the cost of fluorescent tubes lately?"

    Punitive damages, if the plaintiffs succeed, are expected to be in the millions.

    Jouster
  • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 09, 2003 @08:41PM (#7178590)
    I hear the problem is actually 10x worse, if a teacher within 20 feet has breast implants.

    Seriously, when are people going to stop going all "Chicken Little" every time something that seems to be a hazard is proven to not be a hazard?

    -- AC
  • by tomstdenis ( 446163 ) <tomstdenis AT gmail DOT com> on Thursday October 09, 2003 @08:47PM (#7178638) Homepage
    Well there has to be RF leak, see jackass electrons going though wire makes a magnet field...RF low and behold is essentially many electrons going over a wire called an "antenna".

    Now a 2.4Ghz clock over the copper inside a cpu would be a 2.4Ghz RF signal [or a multiple of it]

    Good thing you finished yer grade 8 science...

    Are all trolls on /. this stupid or just you specifically?

    Tom
  • by Casca ( 4032 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @08:51PM (#7178672) Journal
    There is a simple solution to this really. The geek kids all need to get together and kick the shit out of the kids whos parents are suing. Damnit, nevermind...
  • Re:Umm?? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Exiler ( 589908 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @08:55PM (#7178697)
    Well, for one thing they'd be pretty confused. "All these cans and my signal STILL doesn't reach?!"
  • Re:Sad (Score:5, Funny)

    by dattaway ( 3088 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @09:19PM (#7178869) Homepage Journal
    Light dimmers and motor controllers are major offenders found around the house that would put a shielded microwave oven to shame.

    We better shut off the electric grid. Start thinking of the children for God's sake.
  • Re:Sad (Score:3, Funny)

    by NanoGator ( 522640 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @09:22PM (#7178894) Homepage Journal
    "Per the allegation that the school has been ignoring evidence that electromagnetic radiation from Wi-Fi networks poses health risks, I'd invite the luddite parents and their attorneys to have a radiofrequency engineer show them what the airwaves in the classroom (or better, at home) look like."

    It'd be amusing (though unlikely) if the school filed child abuse charges with the parents who brought up the case, citing that they owned cell phones.
  • by Jennifer E. Elaan ( 463827 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @09:50PM (#7179119) Homepage
    ... might be useless against alien mindprobes or whatever it is that conspiracy theorists keep ranting about, but they do work pretty nicely to block radio waves, especially at higher frequencies.

    So just have the paranoid parents send their kids to school wrapped up like a baked potato. Sure, the resulting bullying might be unhealthy, but the kid won't be exposed to the evil 2.4GHz radiation.

  • by Latent Heat ( 558884 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @10:06PM (#7179239)
    There was a time when it was the right-wing nuts who were charging every kind of conspiracy and risk to health. Remember fluoride in water and how the issue was lampooned in Dr. Strangelove?

    I had a libertarian friend who liked to poke fun both at the right-wing nuts who were upset about fluoride along with the liberals who were in a big huff about how bad the conservatives were. He offered up the "fluoron" theory: fluorescent light bulbs emitted "fluorons", subatomic particles smaller than an electron so they were not yet detected by science, but they were shaped like a hammer and sickle (the Soviet emblem), and if one penetrated your skull it would explode a brain cell and turn it into a Communist idealogue. Light exposure (small number of Commie brain cells) turned you into a liberal while heavy doses turned you into a pinko -- and fluorescent lights were everywhere in public schools and government buildings.

    I guess we have come full circle and now the loony Left has become what the loony Right once was.

  • by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @10:10PM (#7179265)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 09, 2003 @10:11PM (#7179277)
    First of all, just being a PhD means is that you spent too much time and money on schools.

    Second, you make it sound as if there were some "question" about 2.4Ghz devices, but *DON'T ACTUALLY POINT TO ANY RESEARCH THAT RAISES QUESTIONS*.

    I put you in the category of people who believe in ghosts, government conspiracies and think "The X Files" was a documentary.

    You're not well thought out, and you wave around a diploma as proof of intelligence.

    Pathetic. I'll bet you school wishes they'd pull your diploma right about now.

    Real parents understand that children are not fragile creatures. If they were, the human race would have died out millions of years ago.

    You *have* heard of evolution, right?
  • by CrazyDuke ( 529195 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @10:26PM (#7179391)
    Dear Parents;

    We at your local public schools appreciate your concerns over the installation of a radio frequencey AKA wireless or wifi computer network. Since we have become aware of your concern over the exposure of children to radiation, we have studied the situation in ernest to better understand your concerns.

    We have decided henseforth, that no wireless network access will be available at the local schools.

    In addition, during our research, we have discovered more sources of potentially harmful radiation, many even more dangerous. We appologize for our negligence; And keeping in mind your concerns with this problem, we are immediately initiating steps to stop these dead rays from damaging the lives of our children. In the interest of openness, we are providing a list of these steps so that we may recieve constuctive feedback from the community. They are:

    1. Effective immediatly, all electronic devices of any type are banned. This includes all computers, calculators, air conditioners, heaters, ovens, refrigerators, electric pencil sharpeners, electronic office equipment, lighting (which is notorious for the amounts of radiation it emits), smoke alarms (which also have significant amounts of Americium-241, a highly radioactive metal in the same group as Uranium and Plutonium), and communications devices. In addition:
    - Cell phones, cordless phones, walky talkies, and all other cordless electronic communication equipment are considered weapons. Possession
    of such weapons will result in immediate expulsion and immediate contact with the appropriate authorities.
    - Children with pacemakers, motorized artificial limbs, or other electronic health assistance will be required to attend a special school for radioactive children located off the main school grounds. Parents possesing any of the afformentioned equipment are banned from school grounds.

    2. We will be disconnecting from the power grid, telephone network, and cable network immediately in order to curb radio frequency radation that is emitted from even the wires themselves.

    3. The school will be renovated with aluminum and lead radiation sheilding in order to protect the children from extraterrestrial radiation including x-rays and gamma rays. We would appreciate donations so that we may purchase the lead required to construct a 1 meter (approximately 3 foot) thick dome over the school in order to make sure none of this radiation harms the children.

    4. Since busses contain electronic components that emit radiation themselves, all bussing services are to be halted. All students are required to walk or ride a bicycle to school while wearing lead radiation sheilding.

    5. Parents who are suspected of exposing students to the above radiation sources shall be refered to social services for further investigation.

    Thank you for bringing this grave matter to our attention. We will continue to take all the steps necessary to keep the children safe and protected.

    Sincerely;

    XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX

    (It's funny! Laugh!)
  • It's simple (Score:2, Funny)

    by CitizenJohnJohn ( 640701 ) on Thursday October 09, 2003 @11:03PM (#7179662)
    These parents just need to send their kids to school in smaller versions of their own tin-foil beanies.
  • by calethix ( 537786 ) on Friday October 10, 2003 @09:21AM (#7182132) Homepage
    Don't worry, the wi-fi network will surely sterilize their children so the stupidity will stop there. ;)

"I've seen it. It's rubbish." -- Marvin the Paranoid Android

Working...