Wayne County, Michigan (CBS Detroit) – The City of Wyandotte continues to have complaints about the T-Mobile 5G antenna installed on the tower at Washington Elementary School.
Tuesday’s school board meeting in Wyandotte was an emotional one. Parents, residents and even students explained why 5G towers should not be installed on school grounds.
Addressing the tower was not on Tuesday’s agenda, but Wyandotte School Board President Cynthia Kinney quickly addressed the elephant in the room.
“As the district’s trustee and financial steward, the board has a duty to act in a way that holds the district fiscally responsible and does not violate existing contractual agreements that could ultimately take funds out of classrooms. ” Kinney said.
Kinney’s remarks drew laughter from the audience. Following her statement, countless residents voiced their opinions on the situation.
Many residents claim the public was never informed that the tower was proposed in 2018.
“Cell phone towers not only affect the children whose parents take them out of the district, but we are neighbors who live in the district and can’t easily pick them up and leave.” one neighbor told the committee.
The deal with T-Mobile was approved in the summer of 2018. Construction of the antenna was halted, primarily due to construction delays due to the pandemic.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Wyandotte youth also shared their thoughts on the antenna installation.
“I want you to know how many lives you’re putting at risk, you’re putting all the staff at risk, so I want you to make the right decision,” said a student at Washington Elementary School.
Issues surrounding Tower Head were not addressed at the meeting, but one board member let residents know they intended to take action.
“I will fight for you because you elected me,” board member Frank Tarowski said.
Congressman Jim DeSana also attended the meeting. He told CBS News Detroit that he plans to introduce a bill that would ban cell phone towers from being installed on or within 100 yards of school buildings.
CBS News Detroit reached out to Michigan’s superintendent of schools to better understand the state’s superintendent’s role in this situation. We will continue to provide updates as warranted.
