Citing himself as an “expert” on cell towers, Temecula Valley Unified School District Board President, Dr. Joseph Komrosky, pushed for his fellow board members to join with him in wanting to ban cell towers on school property. The California school administrator pointed to his own findings as evidence that cell towers posed a radiation danger to students. As The Patch reports, not everyone in the community was willing to accept Komrosky’s word on the subject.
Prior to serving on the school board, Komrosky was employed as a radiology supervisor and earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy. He published his dissertation in 2021, asserting that cell towers might be threatening based on “numerous studies and anecdotal evidence that suggests that this technology might be harmful to humans and the environment.” The use of the word “eudaimonist”* in the title of his writing points to the author’s interest in establishing an Aristotlean feel-good approach to installing cell towers in a world that may not entirely embrace them. He argues that a compassionate person or corporate entity would factor in potential ethical issues instead of relying on the accepted scientific findings supported by the FCC and World Health Organization.
Komrosky campaigned to keep cell towers off school district property but as The Patch notes, he failed to persuade other board members to support him. Unnamed public commenters challenged his claim to be a cell tower expert when his degree is in philosophy. His school ban was also called “ill-advised” and unscientific. One person who identified himself as both a parent and a wireless technician said that disallowing a cell tower would create “a significant barrier to academic success.”
Also weighing in were Board Trustees Allison Barclay and Steven Schwartz, who pointed to sources like the American Cancer Society, whose findings do not support Komrosky’s conclusions. Barclay added that student safety is best served by a good WiFi connection that can summon help in an emergency situation.
The School Board declined to support Komrosky’s proposed ban, putting an end to the issue for the moment. The district currently hosts three cell towers, which earn $500,000 in revenue via 15-year ground leases.
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