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District staff to review overnight school lighting after residents report campuses 'lit like Christmas trees'
Summary
Board members asked for follow-up on exterior and internal school lighting after residents complained lights appeared on all night. Staff said most school lights are on timers and will explore adjustments for common areas and parking lots while maintaining safety for activity nights.
Board members raised resident complaints that school campuses appeared brightly lit overnight. A board member asked for an update on "schools that are lit up, like Christmas trees overnight." District staff said most interior room lights are on occupancy timers that turn off when rooms are inactive, and the lights visible from the road are typically common areas, hallways, walkway and parking-lot lights.
Staff said current timers turn those lights off at midnight and that adjustments are possible for elementary and middle schools to turn common-area lights off earlier. High schools, staff noted, routinely host late activities and bus returns and may need parking-lot and walkway lights longer for safety.
"They're on a timer, and they go off at midnight," a district staffer said. Staff agreed to examine whether some exterior lights can be dimmed or certain circuits can be turned off earlier without compromising safety or custodial operations. They said some lighting systems are binary (on/off) and do not support partial shutdown of alternate fixtures.
Ending
Staff will provide the board with a follow-up report on which lights can be adjusted, possible dimming schedules and any technical or safety constraints.
