Dark Campus policies are nothing new, but they have not been commonly used in the United States or do not get much attention. That's why Culpeper County's successful program, in place for more than a decade, has flown under the radar. A DarkSky Virginia member recently interviewed Culpeper County Public Schools' director of facilities to get the details of their program, learn from their experience, and share it with other localities and school systems. With ten elementary, middle, and high schools plus two education centers serving almost 9,000 students, Culpeper County can serve as a model for schools and systems of all scales. The Dark Campus
Program enacted in 2010 in Culpeper County Public Schools mandates that all
lights controlled by the school system at all twelve schools in the district are
turned off from 11:00 PM until 6:00 AM and all weekend. Mr. Doug Robson, Director of Facilities
Services with Culpeper County Public Schools said the
program has been a huge success, in terms of saving thousands of dollars each
year in utility costs and stopping costly vandalism.
When asked how the dark campus program virtually
eliminated vandalism, Mr. Robson explained that potential vandals can’t see
what they’re doing, so the lack of light makes vandalism harder to
perpetrate. In addition, those who live
near the schools are very supportive in calling the police when they see
unauthorized lights on the campuses. Exceptions
are made and automatic timers turn the lights on in the case of late school
activities, like dances, or students arriving late from away games. The program was based on a studies conducted
in Canada. A summary of the findings may
be found at https://getrede.ca/dark-campus-strategies-k-12-schools/
You may contact
Mr. Robson at wrobson@ccpsweb.org, or 540-825-0661 X3145 for
additional information about the program.
See the school board policy below.
FECBA-BR3
CULPEPER COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
DARK CAMPUS PROGRAM
The Culpeper County School Board
recognizes that implementing a dark campus
program that turns off all outside
lights at each facility when not occupied, will possibly reduce
vandalism, and the cost associated
with it, and also increase energy cost savings. The School
Division will put into practice
the following procedures in each of the division’s school sites:
1. Blackout hours will be set at
each site from 11:00 PM to 6:00 AM, unless the school is
occupied or the outdoor facilities
are being used for a school or community function.
2. The school site will be off
limits during blackout hours, unless previous permission has been granted by the School Board.
3. The community and local
officials will be notified of blackout times at each location. Any
lights seen during the blackout
hours should be reported to local officials.
4. The School Board will provide
and post signs, in prominent locations, with emergency
numbers to call for each site.
5. The community and local
officials will be notified of any changes to the blackout hours via
media or parent information
newsletters
.Adopted: October 11, 2010
Reviewed: June 10, 2024
