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Policy subcommittee approves STEAM admissions policy; full committee renames school to 'City Arts and Sciences Academy'
Summary
Policy subcommittee approved an admissions policy for the STEAM Academy (lottery-based for oversubscription) and the full committee later approved renaming the program 'City Arts and Sciences Academy at Fact O'Leary (CASA)'. The admissions policy will move to the full committee.
The Lynn Public Schools policy subcommittee on Dec. 12 approved an admissions policy for the STEAM Academy at Fact O'Leary that relies on a randomized lottery when applications exceed available seats.
Dr. Shannon Gardner explained the draft policy, noting provisions for equal educational opportunity, inclusion of students experiencing homelessness with liaison contact information, voluntary identification for students with disabilities to request reasonable accommodations during the admissions process, and an explicit statement that neither disability nor primary home language will affect admissions. Eligibility is limited to rising Lynn Public Schools grade 6 and grade 9 students who have been promoted to the grade they seek to enter. Recruitment plans include outreach to 5th and 8th graders, open houses and published recruitment timelines; Gardner said the initial lottery would tentatively occur the week prior to February vacation, with any secondary waitlist randomized in August.
Member Gately raised a drafting typo in the policy's name field; Gardner confirmed the policy will be updated to reflect the final chosen school name.
After the subcommittee vote, the full committee considered the school's name. Dr. Gardner proposed renaming the program to 'City Arts and Sciences Academy at Fact O'Leary' with the acronym CASA to reflect the program’s arts partnership and downtown cultural identity. The full committee approved the name change by roll call.
Key vote outcomes recorded in the meeting: • Policy subcommittee: motion to accept the admissions policy moved and approved by roll call (Member Duigan 'Yes', Member Reid 'Yes', Member Satterwhite 'Yes'); policy forwarded to full committee for consideration. • Full committee: motion to change the name to City Arts and Sciences Academy at Fact O'Leary (CASA) passed by roll call with all members present voting yes.
What happens next: The admissions policy approved by the subcommittee will be forwarded to the full committee for formal adoption (the transcript indicates the subcommittee voted to move the policy forward). Policy text and published timelines will be updated with the official school name and shared via LPS communications.
