The Peabody School Committee heard an update on work to move the PVD Veterans Memorial High School project forward with the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Missus Dunn said the Owner’s Project Manager request‑for‑services (OPM RFS) language will be advertised in the Central Register in January so the district can hire an OPM and then proceed with architect selection and community engagement.

"The OPM RFS working group has been diligently working to prepare the language needed for the advertisement that will go in the Central Register in January, which will allow us to hire the OPM for this project," Missus Dunn told the committee during continued business.

Dunn said the district’s building‑committee members toured Essex North Shore’s geothermal project to review alternative energy approaches, but cautioned that visiting a site does not commit the district to the same system. "Doesn't mean we're gonna do geothermal heating at the high school, but knowing about it and being able to understand it is important," she said.

Special‑education provisions, Dunn said, were front and center in the district’s statement of interest to the MSBA. She listed specific needs the committee has asked be addressed in the new building: restrooms located within special‑education classrooms, private bathroom access for those rooms, larger rooms to accommodate therapy equipment, dedicated space for school psychologists and related service providers, improved nursing space and full ADA compliance so students using wheelchairs or adaptive equipment can navigate the building.

"Students can't receive appropriate therapies, including OT, PT, and speech without privacy at the high school," Dunn said, adding the architect selection and design process will weigh firms’ experience with special‑education facilities.

The committee was told the RFS must be approved by the MSBA before running in the Central Register and that additional community focus groups will be formed once the OPM and design team are on board.