Parents react to plans for a cell tower at their children’s school

Growing concerns over the potential of a cellphone tower going up at a local church.

Parents with students in the schools at the Palm Desert Oasis Church said they don’t want the tower to go up.

But the church said the tower is going up.

Gregory Clark is the senior pastor at the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

He said the church tried for years to install a cell tower to make additional income.

In the past plans fell through but a contract with AT&T became a done deal.

“The contract was signed in 2014, it shows you how long we waited. Nobody anticipating it at all. We just thought it was going to be a dead end, as other ones had been,” Clark said.

Pastor Clark said when he knew things would move forward, the church informed parents at their schools, which include Desert Adventist Academy and Boehm Child Development Center.

That’s when he said the static started.

“Concerns from parents about safety of children, about radio frequencies and energy, what that might do to people. There was some concerns the church was in it for the money and sacrificing the children’s health, for the sake of money,” Clark said.

Parents we talked with wish the church tried to connect with them.

“It will affect my child’s health and I don’t know the result but I have sort of an idea around it. Those towers cause cancer,” said parent Ramon Reyes.

“We feel backed into a corner and in our family’s opinion, there’s really no other choice,” said parent Krystal Deville.

That choice: removing their students from the school.

Many other parents we spoke with, who did not want to go on camera, agree.

Pastor Clark said he understands where they’re coming from.

But he paints a different picture.

“From what I’ve been hearing it’s safe. But I appreciate the parents’ concerns and if something changes the process, then the church will deal with it because we do care about children,” Clark said.

The American Cancer Society said at this time there’s very little evidence to support the idea cell phone towers cause cancer.

The plan is to remove the steeple and replace it with the tower.

And, in an email to one parent, the church said the tower will go up at the end of the month.