Medford advisory team hears staff, students and safety officials on high‑school design priorities

Medford design consultants and roughly 40 members of an advisory team met remotely to begin framing educational‑planning, equity and site‑safety priorities for the Medford High School feasibility study.

Matt Rice, principal in charge for SMMA, opened the meeting by framing the advisory group as a listening forum that will gather recommendations for the building committee. He said the team's role is advisory and that the project aims for a new or substantially renovated high school targeted for 2030.

Participants repeatedly urged the design team to prioritize services and spaces for students with disabilities. Joan Bowen, director of student services for Medford, said the district must "have equitable learning services for our students with disabilities" and preserve program continuity such as transition and life‑skills training.

Teachers and program leads pressed for flexible, usable classrooms and closer departmental adjacencies to support collaboration. "I would love to have more collaboration space for our children and our teachers," said Faiza Khan, the district mathematics director, proposing a daytime 'math lab' as both a curricular and support space. Vocational teachers requested sustained engagement to design shop spaces that meet industry practice; one teacher suggested a model house project to coordinate carpentry, plumbing and electrical instruction.

Students framed the discussion around safety and daily experience. Sydney Hamill, a junior, asked for "safe spaces" where students can decompress, explore interests and return to class ready to learn.

Accessibility and circulation emerged as central site issues. Nicholas, the city's disability specialist, described the existing high school as hard to navigate for people who use mobility aids and pressed for accessible entrances and interior circulation that allow travel between classrooms without undue delay. Speakers including city planners and parent volunteers proposed opening the campus to the street, improving sidewalks and bike routes, and boosting public‑transit connections to reduce driving.

Public‑safety officials warned that some security details will be handled outside a public forum but asked that planners ensure reliable emergency communications and multiple access routes. "There are certain security aspects that we will not discuss in a public forum," said Chief Jack Buckley, the Medford police chief, while emphasizing the need for radio coverage, defined entry nomenclature and clear emergency egress. Fire and EMS representatives warned the team to plan for two independent access routes, hydrant locations and construction‑phase access for responders.

Circulation around athletics and events drew repeated attention. Staff requested a dedicated bus drop‑off zone and one‑way traffic patterns to reduce conflicts between parents, buses and pedestrians. Several speakers flagged inadequate parking when fields are rented and urged grouping community functions to allow secure segmentation of public areas from school areas.

Project leaders said site survey and building scans are nearly complete and promised to share acreage and measured building square footage once finalized. The advisory team will reconvene with concept materials on Jan. 13 in a hybrid session; subsequent meetings will refine options and generate recommendations to the full building committee.

The meeting closed with project staff encouraging continued written input and noting that more focused, confidential conversations with public‑safety officials will follow as design development proceeds.