Lynn private school wants to move to Swampscott

SWAMPSCOTT-Before allowing a Lynn private school to relocate to Swampscott, members of the Swampscott School Committee want to conduct a site visit of the current facility.The Hathaway School, which is currently located at 374 Broadway St., Lynn, wants to relocate to St. John the Evangelist school off of Humphrey Street in Swampscott.Superintendent Matthew Malone told the School Committee at its meeting Tuesday that the state Department of Education requires a private school to obtain approval from the school community where it operates.Malone said he contacted the DOE and Lynn Superintendent Nick Kostan regarding the Hathaway School, which currently serves students in pre-school through third grade.?Lynn never had an issue with the school,” Malone said.The school is owned and operated by the husband/wife team of Mark Hathaway, who is the business manager, and Joanne Civitarese, who is the principal.Hathaway said between its pre-school, school and after-school programs, the school serves approximately 100 students. He said the school is relocating because it has outgrown its current facility in Lynn and needs more space to expand its programs, including adding another grade next year. Hathaway said the school started as a pre-school program and has added a grade each year to accommodate its students.?We have developed a strong relationship with the families,” he said. “We are non-denominational and our largest class is seven students.”Hathaway said the school has signed a three-year lease with a three-year option with St. John’s, and it hopes to occupy the facility as of Dec. 1.School Committee member Joseph Crimmins asked what oversight of the school means for the district and what it would entail.?Oversight, the way I understand it, is very general,” Hathaway said.Malone said it is his understanding the School Committee would be responsible for approving the curriculum and issuing a letter granting the school status each year. Malone said the current curriculum follows the frameworks of the Lynn Public Schools curriculum.School Committee member Daniel Yaeger expressed some concern about traffic given the proximity of the site to Hadley Elementary School.Hathaway assured him the school would use the church parking lot across from the school and there would be a crossing guard to assist students in crossing the street.Malone recommended approving the request for the duration of one year, but School Committee members postponed a vote to allow the school to locate in town pending a site visit.