A group of Merrick moms showed up at last night's meeting of the Merrick School Board with a clear message for school officials:  We want your full support in the fight against cell antennas and access to district parents to spread information on the issue. 

Attorney Andrew Campanelli, representing the Moms of Merrick, spoke before the board at Lakeside School and cited numerous cases around the world where he said people have been harmed by cell antenna radiation.  

"Studies have established that there are potential health effects from cell antennas and the segment most likely to be affected is children," said Campanelli, who noted that there is a cell antenna installed 100 feet behind the playground at Lakeside.

Campanelli, a Merrick resident with three children in the district, urged the board to adopt a resolution opposing antennas near schools.  The moms group, which had about a two dozen members in attendance at the meeting, also wants to be given the ability to send home letters to parents. 

"You have a responsibility to look out for our children," Campanelli told the board.  "Let parents make their own decisions.  You have the power to facilitate that communication and you have a responsibility to do so."

Merrick Superintendent Ranier Melucci did send home a letter to parents in January stating that "the Merrick Board of Education has consistently taken the position that the installation of these cellular telephone antennas is not in the best interest of the school community."  

But last night, school officials were largely silent on the issue. 

School Board President Nancy Kaplan said the board would take Campanelli's requests "under consideration" and in response to concerns that it would be too late to reach parents once school is out, Kaplan said the district could possibly alert parents through the Connect-ED message system. 

"We are as concerned about it as you are," Kaplan told the moms of the cell antenna issue.

While there are studies that suggest radiation from cell antennas is harmful – Campanelli said he has 50,000 pages of studies that do so – there are also others that say there is no need for alarm.  The American Cancer Society has said, "Public exposure to radio waves from cellular phone antennas is slight."

But for the Moms of Merrick, it's quite simple:  If something has even the slightest potential of harming their children, they want it gone. 

"I don't want to worry about this," said Merokean Helene Pino, who has a three-year-old daughter who will attend Merrick schools. 

"I feel the school board should come out and show their support," said Pino, a cancer survivor, after the meeting.  "They are there to make sure our children are safe and this is a safety issue."

The board itself has no legal ability to stop the placement of the antennas, as NextG Networks- granted status as a public utility- has, for the most part, been able to install its Distributed Antenna System wherever they've pleased over the past year.

In other school board news:

• Salvatore Dossena was appointed as the new assistant principal of Birch School.  Dossena, who has been an assistant principal in the New York City school system for the past two years, will move into the post at Birch being vacated by soon-to-be principal Kerri Schlissel. Dossena, a 1997 Garden City High School graduate, holds a master's degree in special education from Adelphi University.  
• The board presented the Patricia C. Deeley Student Award to one student in each school who is receiving special education services and has displayed excellence in the arts.  The receipients were: Scott Weisbrot, of Birch, Allison Peralta, of Chatterton, and Kacie Badolato, of Lakeside. 
• In response to the issue of teens hanging out on school grounds, starting next week, custodians in the district will work 3-4 hour shifts on Friday nights to keep an eye out for trouble.  The custodians will inform police if there is something they can't control themselves, but usually the teenagers scatter when they see patrols, according to Christine Grucci, assistant superintendent for business and technology. 
• The board acknowledged the retirement of two people from Lakeside: Marie Leto and principal Miriam Hanan.  "During her career, she has touched the lives of hundreds of children, my daughter being one of them," board trustee Susan Schwartz said of Hanan.  "You were an amazing part of her life and our lives and I can't thank you enough."  

The board convenes next on Thursday, July 1 for its annual re-organizational meeting.