Louise Brosnan pulled her boys out St Kevin’s Primary School at Geebung after Wi-Fi was installed
Brisbane mother, Louise Brosnan with her children Peter, 9, (left) John, 10, and Zara, 5, who pulled her kids out of a Catholic school after she complained about the installation of Wi-Fi. Source: News Limited
BRISBANE mother Louise Brosnan pulled both her boys out of a school that installed Wi-Fi this year.
St Kevin’s Primary School at Geebung told her it could not comply with her request that her sons use only hardwired computers and be kept away from wireless devices, due to her worries about possible side-effects.
A letter from the principal stated that if her sons were to stay at St Kevin’s “we are unable to provide the environment you have requested’’.
“There is no empirical evidence to indicate your concern and I need to inform you that St Kevin’s Primary School is unable to meet your non consent request,’’ the letter states.
“This would be the case for any of our Brisbane Catholic Education schools.
“Please provide a written response to the school indicating that you have received this information and that you are continuing their enrolment at the school.’’
Ms Brosnan yesterday said she had withdrawn her sons John, 10, and Peter, 9 from the school.
“They asked me to sign a document that was basically about me taking responsibility (for keeping the children there) so I couldn’t sue,’’ she said.
“I’m disappointed they didn’t try to accommodate our request, not only for my own children but for all the children and staff.’’
The boys now attend a Catholic school at Park Ridge, a 45-minute drive from their New Farm home, that does not use Wi-Fi.
Ms Brosnan, a chartered accountant and former partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers, said she suffered “terrible headaches, vomiting and nausea’’ when exposed to Wi-Fi and did not want her children using it.
Brisbane Catholic Education spokesman John Phelan yesterday said schools were not obliged to use Wi-Fi but the technology was being introduced to all new schools.
He said schools had used hardwired computers until students started receiving federal government-funded laptops that worked on Wi-Fi.
“It becomes almost physically impossible to provide power points and data points for 500 or 600 kids in a primary school,’’ he said.
“Whilst we appreciate (Ms Brosnan) has a difficulty with the system, it has been rolled out at that school and all of our new schools use Wi-Fi.
“That’s how we deliver the curriculum the way the world is working at the moment is with Wi Fi.
“In the coming years I think you’ll find every school will have Wi-Fi.’’
The Queensland Education Department yesterday said it was not compulsory for schools to install Wi-Fi in every classroom.
Assistant Director-General David O’Hagan said a recent review of Wi-Fi had found that “all current wireless infrastructure in state schools adhere to aspects of the Australian Standards’’.
“Mobile and wireless technologies are increasingly being used to support learning that is individualised and personalised for each student,’’ he said.
Mr O’Hagan said Wi-Fi did not need to be switched off when not in use.
“The current Wi-Fi network design used in schools … incorporates advanced technology which lowers power consumption and doesn’t require separate, dedicated power switches,’’ he said.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/louise-brosnan-pulled-her-boys-out-st-kevin8217s-primary-school-at-geebung-after-wifi-was-installed/story-e6frfrnr-1226729175598#ixzz2gO7xOGkC
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