Dear Dana Tofig, Do Not Deny Again Our Public Information Request on Wireless Radiation

Public Information Request Denied
WiFi Radiation Locations Considered a Safety Risk if Public? 

Is the information system more protected than our children?

Email sent April 17, 2015

Dear Mr. Dana Tofig, 

I am writing in response to your letter that you would not provide me with my Public Information Request for copies of Wi-Fi Router Maps as making this public “creates safety and data privacy  concerns” for students and thus may be exempted from disclosure under the MPIA. "

It is because of our children's safety that we are requesting this information. 

You cited this § 4-338. SECURITY OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS. below as one reason MCPS will not make public this information. 

§ 4-338. SECURITY OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS.
A custodian shall deny inspection of the part of a public record that contains information

about the security of an information system. 

I ask "Is the information system more protected than our children?" 

Parents in those schools want the information because they are shocked, dismayed, and angry that -rather then keeping kids safe, MCPS is putting children in hot spots with excessive radiation.  The information we requested will help the parents know if their child is in a room with an access point so they can ask to move their children across the room- away from the router. 

Please note that MCPS has already published online several school floor plans.  We easily found online floor plans for over a dozen MCPS Schools with a quick google search. 

You also wrote that the floor plans could create safety concerns and cited possible attacks on the school. 

We have removed floor plans per your request. 
You requested we take down the floor plans with router locations from our blog. Your actions and concerns are based on the possibility that someone may use this floor plan to attack the school. A Possible Risk. A Serious Possible Risk. You are using the Precautionary Principle and deciding not to take such a risk because the harm could be devastating. Yet you have no proof that anyone is planning such an event. I understand 100%. When something could be life threatening, you take protective action even if it is not proven. This is why Doctors are calling for the Precautionary Principal when it comes to Wi-Fi. They recommend reducing exposure because our children's healthy future is at stake.

April 16/2015 Breaking News: CDC Expert Calls For Precaution:  
"The Precautionary Principle Should be Invoked for RF-EMF (Wireless)," will be detailed by Christopher Portier at the June BioEM2015 Conference, Mr. Portier is former Director of the National Center for Environmental Health and the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at CDC. Prior to his work at CDC, Dr. Portier was the Associate Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at NIH and Associate Director of the National Toxicology Program. Dr. Portier served as the CDC expert on the 31-member IARC expert working group that declared radiofrequency radiation "possibly carcinogenic" to humans in 2011 based on increased brain cancer risk.  Read More 

Christopher Portier is an example of a US expert in Toxicology calling for Precaution. He is not alone. Shouldn't MCPS consider wireless a safety threat if CDC officials with expertise in wireless radiation are taking a stand? 

The Information We Need:
We simply want the wireless antennae locations for parents. We have no need for full floor plans.  We ask that you provide us with:

1. Classroom numbers for the schools on our list.
2. Detail if it has a router or access point and what model and signal strength. 
3. Detail the location of the router in the room in full. 

This way parents can find out of their child is in a room with a radiating antennae and if so- where in the room the transmitter is located.  Pregnant teachers may choose to sit in decreased radiation areas as recommended by our countries leading Doctors. 

Please note that in the US- Districts such as Suffolk County New York are already enacting legislation to put warning signs on Wi-Fi routers. (Learn More) Router location should public information. 

Why in your follow up email  to me yesterday did you state I may come to your office and look at the floor plans but I may not share information on router location publicly and that I must write a letter to you to this effect (your words "You must agree to that in writing -via email or written letter)- before you will be granted access to the records".) How is it public information then? 

We do not want to jeopardize the safety of any student or staff. 
We do not need floor plans but we do need the  information detailed above made available to us in writing, scanned, copied and sent to us and it should be allowed to be publicly posted.  If you are unable to provide this information,  then please provide in writing a statement as to why you are officially denying me my Public Information Request. 

Our concern is the health and safety of our children.  Radiation exposure is closest near the access point in the classroom (see pic below). We believe all parents have a right to know this information. MCPS should be 100% transparent on the location of these high powered radiation devices in classrooms. 

Thank you, 

Thea Scarato 

This picture is from https://3.bp.blogspot.com Please click on this link to see how radiation is emitted  from a router or access point

Please email anytime at safetechforschoolsmaryland@gmail.com
Learn why we are concerned at http://safetechforschoolsmaryland.blogspot.com/2015/02/bells-mills-radiation-levels-in.html

Please join our Facebook Page at Safe Tech For Schools Maryland 

Andrea McCarren of WUSA9  broke the story of Maryland parents concerned about the health risk of WiFi in Schools. Please watch it at http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/local/maryland/2015/03/07/montgomery-county-parents-concerned-about-impact-on-children/24509945/