Board member raises lease and safety concerns over 5G towers on district land

A board member presented a memo and slides about potential 5G cell-tower leases on district-owned property and urged the board to consider lease language and student-safety implications before approving or renewing any agreements. The presenter said he reviewed older leases (signed in 2019–2020) and concluded the district lacks clear contractual exits and that lease language gives tenants broad rights, possibly including the ability to bring third parties onto district land.

The presenter cited national examples of school districts that have paused or banned new tower leases and said he found references suggesting the Federal Communications Commission has not updated safety standards since 1996. He also cited a Verizon shareholder filing that mentions litigation risk related to alleged health effects. "We basically have given away our opportunity to get out of this lease," the presenter said; he said he would email the board the memo and supporting links for review.

A board member who conducts research cautioned trustees to review funding sources behind studies before drawing conclusions about safety. "If the people who want something want it bad enough, they will fund the research," she said, urging scrutiny of who funded studies and potential biases. The county attorney had reviewed the leases preliminarily and provided recommendations the presenter summarized; the board asked the presenter to distribute the full packet via email so members and staff can review the documents before any action.