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Lynn schools propose moving Frederick Douglass Collegiate Academy to downtown office building; parents press for safeguards for therapeutic students
Summary
District leaders presented a phased plan to relocate and expand Frederick Douglass Collegiate Academy into the Eastern Bank building at 195 Market St., promising more lab and maker space and lease savings; parents and teachers urged clear plans to preserve therapeutic services and IEP protections before any moves.
District and city leaders outlined a plan on Dec. 12 to relocate Frederick Douglass Collegiate Academy (FDCA) into the Eastern Bank building at 195 Market St. and to use the move to reduce leasing costs and relieve severe overcrowding at Lynn Classical and Lynn English High Schools.
Dr. Shannon Gardner, who led the presentation, said the phased move would allow the district to renovate office floors into classrooms, lab and maker spaces, and a student‑operated kitchen. She said the plan would lower lease costs and expand pathways, and estimated FDCA could open in the new space in fall 2025 with roughly 352 students and that a therapeutic program currently in the Fact O'Leary building would move in 2025 with about 36 students, with additional relocations completing by fall 2026.
Why it matters: District leaders framed the relocation as a solution to long‑standing…
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