Teacher Accommodations

1. Medical Note: Find out from your union what is required in a medical note. Doctors trained in Environmental Medicine can provide you with two medical notes next week; one for your union (local President) and one for your school board. Your local President will likely make a copy and send it to the provincial executive to file for their record. The General Secretary usually receives this information. 

2. Measure levels: in your classroom with an RF meter, locating areas with the lowest levels. Purchase an RF meter that will measure peak levels (most biologically active). Teachers have successfully used the Safe and Sound Pro II meter.  https://safelivingtechnologies.com/products/safe-and-sound-pro-ii-rf-meter.html

3. Find a Low EMF Classroom: Find a room without a router, or a room where the router is outside the classroom. Classrooms near Utility rooms, bathrooms often have lower signals.

4. Meet with your Principal: 

5. a)Discuss a plan to reduce your RF (wireless, microwave) exposure in your classroom, and throughout the school, and scheduling outdoor duties.

6. b)Request that the school board measures the RF levels in your classroom and reduces the power density (signal strength of wireless access points) by 25%, to maintain the maximum efficiency of devices, and reduce microwave exposures.

7. c)Let your Principal know about these potential accommodation devices to begin a safer substitute “phase in” strategy: Ethernet cables, switches and adaptors can travel with you to other classrooms.

8. d)Ask about school policies re: cell phones and come up with a plan to wire students devices, or request they turn off microwave emitting antennas after programs are downloaded. 

9. Purchases required to reduce wireless exposures:

10. a)RF meter

11. b)Shoebox storage, “Cell Hotel” – Children can store their cell phones in a “Cell Hotel”. They can be asked to put their cell phone in airplane mode with cellular, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi antennas disabled. A student monitor can use an RF meter to scan the cell phones in the “Cell Hotel” to detect signals.

https://www.amazon.ca/Pacon-Classroom-Keepers-30-Slot-001318/dp/B00377TSB0?th=1

1. d)wired ethernet cables for each device

2. e)switches (4 port, 8 port, 16 port, 32 port) 

3. f)adaptors

4. g)temporary mitigation (until school board provides wired classroom): powerline adaptors can enable your students to access wired ethernet signals through duplex receptacles in the classroom by using the existing 120 volt power wiring. (some people are sensitive to dirty electricity from these powerline adaptors)

5. h) On/off switch to turn off the wireless access point in the classroom.

1. Disability Sign: Post a disability sign in your classroom to alert others about your disability requirements: staff, students, volunteers, parents, and visitors. This sign can be posted in the staff room and other shared areas.

2. Assemblies: Ask admin. to verbally announce and screen the disability message for assemblies.

3. Student Training: For programs that don’t require streaming, students can download data, and activate airplane mode. Ask them to make sure all antennas are turned off.

6. Staff Training: Your Principle, Local Steward, or Division Lead, can encourage staff to download data and use devices in airplane mode with antennas disabled, or leave cell phones in their own classrooms, when you are participating in the same shared space (photocopy room, staff room, etc.) Bring a sound enabled meter with you so it will alert staff if cell phones are on.

7. Union Accommodations:

8. a)Find out how knowledgeable your union is re: adverse, biological impacts of wireless exposures and the accommodations required to protect you from injury (microwave sickness). The more knowledgeable they are, the stronger the position they will be in to advocate for your disability needs.

9. b)Ask for accommodations at local union meetings. (opportunity to raise awareness within your local) – verbal, screened announcements

10. c)Disability Union Leaders: advocate strongly for persons with disabilities, and follow (AODA, ADA) policies. These committees can be very helpful in advocating for EHS accommodations. Find out if you have a Disability Union leader at the local, provincial/state, or Federal level. Find out which other local/provincial/Federal union members will advocate for you (disability, diversity, etc.) Many local and provincial unions, schools, and school boards, operate differently across Canada, based on their understanding of electromagnetic disabilities and ADA or AODA policies. (Accessibility for Ontarians Disability Act) https://www.aoda.ca/the-act/. Accommodations are very personal, and should reflect the needs of each individual.

11. d)Health and Safety Union Leaders and Committees – Some local, provincial executive, or Federal union representatives (Health & Safety Members) are trained to follow regulatory organizations such as WHO, ICNIRP, FCC, HC, etc. These individuals may claim schools are following safety guidelines. For example in Canada they are familiar with Health Canada’s Safety Code 6 and believe SC6 protects vulnerable and sensitive people in the workplace. They are not yet aware that SC6 does not address non-thermal, adverse, biological effects. Health Canada believes unless microwave exposures heat up skin tissue, you are safe. These union leaders are not familiar with disability laws. A disability committee can advocate for your accommodation needs within the union and assist you with changing this perception held by health and safety union leaders.

12. e)Join a local or provincial disability committee/caucus, to increase awareness about environmentally induced microwave sickness/electromagnetic sensitivity.

8. Additional Information:

UK parents won a precedent setting Upper Tribunal ruling after a 5 year legal battle against 2 local authorities, to have their electromagnetically disabled child accommodated in school. 

https://phiremedical.org/education-health-care-plan-ehcp-awarded-aug-2022-for-uk-child-on-the-basis-of-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-ehs/?fbclid=IwAR1QI59WBxdX2kF4EabaL0h0Mm1qR9vbxb08Ohn5bgiO4x0wmzxOH2_4b8I

“with permission, Canadian Educators for Safe Technology”. https://www.facebook.com/CanadianEducatorsforSafeTechnology