At the start of the Sept. 26 meeting, two members of the public urged the School Committee to clarify or change the district's athletic eligibility/high-school transfer policy (JJICA) so students who attend schools without athletic programs can participate at other Lynn high schools.

Renee Silva said her son, Jason Silva, attended and graduated the district's discovery program and benefited from the Lynn Vocational Technical Institute (LVTI) swim team but was not selected in three lotteries and was denied enrollment at LVTI. She said her son was accepted at Frederick Douglass Collegiate Academy, which does not offer athletics, and asked the committee to permit him to continue swimming with his friends and coaches at LVTI.

JR Ployd, accompanying Silva, asked the committee to amend policy JJICA or create a clear exception for students who attend schools without athletic opportunities, citing perceived vagueness in the policy and noting that some other schools reportedly let students choose which high school to represent for athletics.

Committee members listened; the speakers requested either an administrative exception for an individual or a policy clarification so that the situation would be resolved for similarly situated students. No formal motion or vote on policy change was taken at the meeting.

What's next: The request was entered into the record; the committee did not take immediate action and did not vote on a policy amendment at this meeting.