Bright Light, Big Frustrations At New Peabody Middle School

PEABODY, MA -- City and school officials are trying to work out an agreement with a contractor that worked on the new, $90 million Higgins Middle School in Peabody. School officials say tinting on the windows, particularly in the school's gymnasium, is not dark enough to prevent a blinding solar glare. The problem is worst, school officials said, in winter months when the sun is lower in the sky.

"Lots of members of the public are frustrated," School Committee Member Beverley Ann Griffin Dunne told the Peabody Weekly News, which first reported this story. Adding shades to the windows in the gym would likely be too costly, Dunne said.

Separately, school officials are also asking the contractor to put switch guards over the light switch bank in the gym. School committee member Joseph Amico made the request, noting all of the lights could be accidentally turned off at once. "It can pose a risk, especially during night practices and games," he said.

For more on this story, see the Peabody Weekly News. Subscribe to Peabody Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).