Sutherland LSC nixes contracts with cellular firms

Over 260 people signed the petition, and several people expressed health concerns about the equipment at recent meetings.

“The process of any local school council is to be responsive to the community—and the community’s voice was very clear,” said Sutherland Principal Meg Burns, who was among voters on the contract. “We are entrusted by our neighborhood to serve the families of our neighborhood. As such, the vote was obvious.”

According to CPS, Sutherland has two celltower contracts—one with Cingular, which expires June 30, and another with Verizon, which expires in June 2023.

The online petition focused on the Cingular contract, but LSC Chair Jimmie Ambrose said the vote will end the deals for both contracts when they expire.

Ambrose previously said that he felt the celltower equipment is safe.

He said he voted no “not as to say the technology is harmful,” but “because we were not provided with a contract to actually vote on.”

He also noted that the LSC requested an attorney for CPS attend the private executive session of the Feb. 15 meeting, but that did not happen after the attorney accepted the offer at a previous meeting.

“So, I had no choice,” Ambrose said, “but to vote no due to these factors.”

He said that CPS attorneys informed him that Cingular will not be able to remove its equipment and find an alternative location to sustain service in the area by June 30, so it is likely that the equipment will remain for an unspecified time after that date.

According to CPS officials, Cingular and Verizon have been notified that their contracts will not be renewed; generally, it takes 18 months for a celltower location to be completely decommissioned from a CPS site, and the celltowers will remain active during that time.

There are 91 CPS schools that have cell antennae on their premises, officials said.

“CPS aims to provide a safe and healthy environment—inside and outside district buildings—for our students, staff and families,” a spokesperson said. “The district works with school communities and our vendors to reach amicable agreements to safely and smoothly implement any changes in services, products and a school-campus environment.”

One LSC member abstained from voting due to a relative working at the school.

Both deals are $30,000 per year, and Sutherland receives one-third of the revenue, $20,000, from the contracts.

According to CPS, Sutherland has an enrollment of about 600 students, so, as the petition stated, the contracts provide the school about $33 per child per year.

Becca Blue, a school parent, pleaded during the public-comment portion of the meeting on Feb. 15 to remove the equipment—just as she has done at previous meetings.

“We are a neighborhood school,” Blue said. “Our neighborhood has spoken. It has spoken loudly, passionately.”

Blue previously said there is no price worth the possible health problems that a celltower could cause. The petition noted concerns about students who attend classes near cell towers potentially experiencing cognitive dysfunction, dizziness, headaches, nausea and memory loss.

According to cancer.org, cell towers emit radiofrequency (RF) waves. Currently, the website states, the towers show no signs of causing problems.

“Cellphone towers are still relatively new, and many people are understandably concerned about whether the RF waves they give off might possibly have health effects,” the site said. “At this time, there’s no strong evidence that exposure to RF waves from cellphone towers causes any noticeable health effects. However, this does not mean that the RF waves from cellphone towers have been proven to be absolutely safe. Most expert organizations agree that more research is needed to help clarify this, especially for any possible long-term effect.”

At meetings leading up to the vote, school-community members said they would help with fundraising to replace lost revenue resulting from a contract not being renewed.

Burns expressed confidence in that pledge.

“They all stated that they have a stake in the school and that, if that meant they had to work harder to gain funds to ensure that we would be able to pay for staff and pay for things that our families need, they would be there for us,” Burns said, “and I believe that.”

Burn, who has been principal since 2017, said that for as long as she has been at Sutherland—and as long as she will be at Sutherland—the LSC will serve the interests of the community first. That was demonstrated by the overwhelming vote.

“Our local school council is unified,” she said, “in making decisions that affect our community.”