Install the lights. This is a no brainer. The neighbors "concerns" are a bunch of overblown fabrications without any basis in reality. There is no evidence. None. To suggest that school field lights cause an increase in crime. That is absurd.

I'm not a neighbor of either school, but I oppose this misuse of energy. The comment about this enabling a later school start is absurd. The football field has a very limited use in school activities. The turf wears if it is used too much. It's artificial and already costs a bundle. If the idea is to move activities that now take place outside elsewhere on the 40 acre campuses onto the football field, that's a vain hope. The football field occupies 1.3 acres of the overall campus. The soccer and softball fields are at least 3 times the size of the football field with no artificial turf. There's a reason for that. It's not the entire turf area that is proposed to be illuminated and equipped with blaring public address systems. Absolutely there is no educational value whatsoever in this endeavor. It's an amusement park activity.

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When incumbent school board members are not challenged for re-election, neighbors will only have REASON on their side. And REASON is not in charge of this "rich" high school district now flush with money borrowed (through the sale of bonds). But the marching bands should improve greatly by training every evening on the football field. Neighbors should start submitting their musical requests.

It enables a later school start by enabling sports teams and marching band to practice later into the evening under the lights. Sorry to have to explain these things to you.

Install the lights! Giving students more opportunity to practice (many sports, not just football) later in the evening, and also the possibility of later start times (which we are learning is in the best interest of students) makes sense. There can be guidelines - schools can be good neighbors too.

ATHLETIC TEAMS AT LAHS
Fall Sports

Cheer
Boys/Girls Cross Country
Dance
Field Hockey
Football
Girls Golf
Girls Tennis
Girls Volleyball
Boys/Girls Water Polo


Winter Sports

Boys/Girls Basketball
Boys/Girls Soccer
Wrestling


Spring Sports

Badminton
Baseball
Boys Golf
Gymnastics
Boys/Girls Lacrosse
Softball
Boys/Girls Swimming/Diving
Boys Tennis
Boys/Girls Track & Field
Boys Volleyball
*An athlete may participate in only 1 LAHS sport per season.

OK, so now, you duffers who say that "Many sports" besides football will
benefit from football stadium lights, cough it up. What sports are you talking about? Golf? Swimming? Tennis? Gymnastics? Dance? Cross Country? Volleyball?

Do you really think that they will allow field hockey in the evenings on the football artificial turf? That is highly unlikely.

So the argument that there are "many sports" besides football that would benefit from football lights is specious and deceitful.

As far as the longer school day being aided by the lights, the same issue applies. All the sports except football are unaffected. It's really a question of football. The football players have a 7th period class for PE credit so they already start their practice during the school day. Currently 2pm to 2:45 pm depending on the day. Start school a half hour later and there's still plenty of time before dark. When would you have the lighting turned on? How many hours need to be allotted to football practice each day? This is another bad argument. The idea is that football practice is THE big reason the school day can't start later, because all the other sports are pretty much able to fit their time in between even a later 7th period start and the end of the day. Most ALREADY are not in an unlighted outdoor area anyway!

Yes, there are a LOT of sports besides football that would benefit from the lights: Soccer, Lacrosse, Track and Field, Field Hockey, Cheer, Dance, Marching Band all come to mind. All of these sports already use the football field at times for day games and practices so any argument that they wouldn't be allowed to because of artificial turf damage is 100% wrong!

To put it another way, here are the seasons and the sports which would benefit from the lights:

Fall: Cheer, Dance, Field Hockey, Football, Marching Band
Winter: Boys/Girls Soccer
Spring: Boys/Girls Lacrosse, Boys/Girls Track & Field

This is probably the only school district that doesn't ever host HS football games at night. What happened to Friday night lights?

The point is this- I think it's not the lights that people are concerned with. It's probably the crowds or fear of attracting the wrong kind of crowds and cars parked up and down the streets is what could be upsetting the quiet neighborhoods which probably had kids that have grown up and moved on anyways. If you live in a neighborhood that has a high school in it, you should have known to expect these sort of activities to happen. School isn't just between the hours of 7am-3:30pm. Activities are always constantly fourthgoing no matter what time or day during the week.

One time I was attending an event at the high school and the street across the high school called Blue Lake Square had makeshift signs that said "No school event parking". Is that even legal to post a sign on a public non-private street? To go even further, they had an exclusive public relations officer posted on the corner like a private security guard making sure nobody did park on their previous spaces. Someone has friends in high places. If a particular street wants to keep folks from parking in their neighborhood, then turn it into a gated community and seclude yourself from the outside world. Neighborhoods near Cupertino High School are doing the same. SMH

Blue Lake Square's streets ARE private.

You are right that the crowds for the real reason they want the lights are a big concern, because of the use of the neighborhood streets for parking and the kids leaving trash all over the sidewalks and getting up to mischief.

But the lights themselves are an issue. They aren't needed at all. These so called other sports that would benefit don't have any shortage of access to the field space they need, for either practices or games. Kids meet trouble scheduling athletic workouts after 6pm for a lot of reasons other than darkness. There's no football going on when soccer is happening, and lacrosse is a different season still. All the Spring sports have plenty of daylight well past after the time when they can schedule their practices for the convenience of the players.

Then there's the use of the artificial turf for destructive uses like field hockey. There's no question that it COULD be used, but the fact is that other fields are preferable to lengthen the time between replacements of the artificial turf. Then there's scheduling. Football practices and field hockey are going on in the same months. They no doubt happen at the same times. None of that uses is going to switch to after dark so as to make use of the stadium. It's only football for which some added practice might be desired, but 2 hours a day of practice is ENOUGH!

Field Hockey use of artificial turf uses different turf than for football, often requiring it be wet down for play. Otherwise, the artificial turf wears too much. Practically speaking, at the high school level, natural grass is used. If a match happens on football turf, it's going to wear the turf. Certainly they aren't going to do this for practices.

@Nope, the Field Hockey team at Los Altos High School plays their home games on the football field. Does this upset you? It would seem that it does. You really should seek professional help.

Let's start on the musical requests for evening band practice. I am thinking:This band is your band, this band is my band... You'll get used to the change.

Nope. That's what I said. No benefit at all to Field Hockey. Lights not needed for Field Hockey. Just for football, sort of. The nostalgia for the 1950's "Friday Night" games. Very retro.

I can totally understand neighbors being concerned. If kids didn't disrespect, people would not be so wary. But they do. Personally, if MV pays a single dime for this, while public streets remain unlit, I will cry foul. No pun intended...