First off, my beardie didn't seem to sleep very well when I had a red heat light (freaked her out a bit too), and considering you probably don't watch yours sleep, I would go with an alternative option such as a ceramic heat emitter since we all know how cold schools can be. I can't tell you too much about CHE's, because my apartment is always around 80 degrees :lol:
I'd say taking it home on weekends seems a little excessive if you're going back to feed him. They actually make thermometers that can send notifications to your phone when there is a min/max temp. Never had one, but hey, its worth a look. Considering you're 20 minutes away, if the power goes out the temp won't drop insanely fast. Here's a link to said thermometer....