Loudoun County Public Schools Freezes New Cell Tower Construction for Five Years

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The Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Board vetoed tower construction projects on school grounds for the next five years. Loudoun Now reported that projects approved before October 1, 2024, can move forward.

Board Member Anne Donohue abstained from voting due to concerns over “the blanket prohibition” of towers. She feels a case-by-case scenario would be more realistic. 

“The cell phone towers bring in tens of thousands of dollars of revenue to our division every year. Limiting additional cell phone towers on our school property could have a detrimental effect on connectivity for cell phones or wireless access in our LCPS facilities, which could have other harmful effects for our students and our staff, and I am generally constrained about limiting the future authority of this board in this way,” she added. 

Discussions began in May after parents raised concerns over a proposed high school tower, citing RF radiation exposure. Maryam Esfarjani, an electrical engineer, biomedical engineer, and former wireless communications industry employee, raised concerns about outdated studies on electromagnetic radiation and the unknown effects of long-term exposure. “We are now one of the few counties in all of the United States that have done this,” she said, regarding putting a freeze on tower build outs. 

Over 800 parents and students backed Esfarjani. Loudoun Now reported that towers could still be built on administrative buildings and in parks owned by LCPS. The School Board entered into a 10-year master licensing agreement (MLA) with the developer Reston, VA-based Milestone Towers in 2020 with the option of five five-year extensions. The initial MLA will be up for review in 2030. Three existing towers owned by LCPS have leases with renewals in 2026, 2027, and 2028. 

The towers were strategically built in areas with little to no service, enabling collocation and housing infrastructure for public safety radio systems. These towers also play a crucial role in the school’s safety measures, housing LCPS radio antennas, including emergency alert systems, bus radios, and maintenance vehicle radios. 

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