LIGHT SWITCHES DON'T NEED SOFTWARE!!!!!!
Feckin' morons!
If there actually ARE light switches.
Twin towers of the WTC lacked switches originally
https://forgottenhistoryblog.com/the-world-trade-center-towers-originally-lacked-lightswitches/
I have a pretty good idea of what they were using.
The software had a program that turned the lights on and off with the schedule. So they would turn on when teachers or staff arrived, and off at the end of the day.
These systems DO NOT have a manual override. That was a selling point to save costs. Less wiring, more control, etc.
So there is probably only the breakers to turn the lights off. Breakers that might turn off more than the lights.
Again, to save money I bet the lighting circuits were added into the wall plugs. Turn off the lights, and the computers and fridges go down.
I would bet it is more than “They don’t know how to program it”. More than likely the PLC failed, and now they only way they have to turn the lights off and on is to depower the whole panel.
I have seen this very thing. It cost a LOT to get resolved.
Automation kids, ain’t it grand.