5G cellphone tower near Wyandotte school causes confusion in community
WYANDOTTE, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Concerns over 5G cellphone towers have many Wyandotte residents talking. It all deals with a tower being placed at George Washington Elementary School.
Parents and other residents are looking for answers after T-Mobile 5G towers recently popped up at the school.
Those concerns reached thousands, and more than 1,500 people have signed a petition asking for the tower to be relocated.
The tower, which is situated above the playground area of the school, is too close for comfort. Some parents question the amount of radiation emitting into the atmosphere and the effect it has on children and staff.
"My concern is the radiation waves that will radiate out of that cell tower," Caitlin Moore said.
During the meeting, parents exclaimed they were looking to have their questions answered.
During the Thursday night meeting, school leaders including the superintendent set out to give residents an explanation but everyone had heard enough.
According to school leaders, T-Mobile approached the district in 2017 for the addition of the towers. Local leaders did approve but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the installation process.
In the deal, the district is set to receive a $1,000 monthly payment.
"$1,000 a month for putting our kids at risk for the rest of the month," said Josh Castmore.
Tensions rose during the event, to the point where Wyandotte Superintendent Catherine Cost ended the meeting.
Parents are still left with more questions than answers, but some are threatening to escalate the situation even more.
"The question is whether we are going to have to file a lawsuit in order to stop this from happening or if we can negotiate to have this moved," Castmore said.
School leaders say the tower is safe, but many parents aren't buying it. In an effort to determine the effects of the tower, some parents have joined together to get their own research conducted.
"Everybody that was here tonight has done their own research. We didn't need to hear the information she was provided by T-Mobile," Castmore said.
As of Thursday night, it's unclear if a second meeting will take place before the tower is turned on.