Residents raise wireless‑radiation concerns at Westwood; public speakers and a board member press competing views on Title IX

Three members of the public used the board's open forum to raise separate concerns Oct. 14: wireless‑radiation readings at Westwood Elementary, and competing perspectives on Title IX and girls' athletics.

Ellen Fahey, who identified herself as a Prior Lake resident and former special‑education paraprofessional, said she had taken spot readings on a playground near Westwood Elementary with a handheld field meter and reported a peak measurement of 5.3 milliwatts per square meter. "The tri field meter said a safe reading...would be 1 milliwatts per square meter. And what I picked up on the playground was 5.3 milliwatts per square meter," Fahey said. She asked the board to consider the readings and expressed concern about health effects, while acknowledging the board may have limited legal authority over cell‑site placement.

Two other speakers addressed Title IX and the participation of transgender athletes in girls' sports. Maryann Vandevassy told the board she was alarmed to see four local board members listed on a Title IX petition circulating in the state and urged the board to "hold the students in our schools close and tell them we support their efforts to grow." In contrast, Jen Owen thanked four board members who have taken actions she described as safeguarding participation for "biological women," recounted her own collegiate athletic career and urged the board to preserve single‑sex competition to protect opportunities for female athletes.

Later in the meeting Director Atkinson reported on a separate effort by some Minnesota school board members to press state agencies on Title IX compliance. He said a website, launched by a coalition of school board members, lists individual board members who have signed on and that as of the morning of Oct. 14 "274 school board members from across the state" had added their names; he described himself as a spokesperson for the project. Another director clarified the effort was a grassroots outreach and said not all Minnesota board members had received the communication.

Why it matters: Public comment raised two issues that sometimes draw broader media and legal attention — wireless‑radiation concerns near schools and disputes over Title IX implementation. Neither topic produced board action at the meeting; the board and administration noted limits to local authority over cell‑site regulation and described the Title IX activity as the separate initiative of individual board members around the state.

Meeting evidence: Public comments were made during the open forum segment; Director Atkinson reported the coalition and website in a later board report section.