This is not an NEC issue, it is "life safety" or whatever your jurisdiction calls it. The prisons I worked in had waivers if they thought the inmates could cause a problem with something. I am not sure I would want a bunch of bored inmates doing science fair experiments with the stuff in a typical battery light. Talk to the security folks before you start the battle. You may have an ally that has signature authority to make this go away.
We had waivers on lots of normal "places of assembly" rules.
I'm not even sure they have exit signs in a dorm. Why bother, the door is locked anyway.
