Held on bail, Lynn school firebug faces suspension

LYNN – A 16-year-old Lynn student accused of setting fire to the clothing of two classmates last week remains locked up and could face an indefinite suspension from the school district.The 16-year-old boy was charged Thursday with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, possession of an infernal device, two counts of burning personal property and disrupting a school assembly when he attempted to harm a classmate with a makeshift torch at the Fecteau-Leary Junior Senior High School on North Common Street.According to School Attendance and Discipline Specialist Richard Iarrobino, the student was arrested and bail was set following the incident. Iarrobino said he did not know the details of the bail, but the student remains incarcerated at the Department of Youth Services this week as he awaits further legal action from the state.If the student is released from DYS, in addition to his legal troubles, he would also likely face an indefinite suspension from the Lynn Public Schools while the case is pending.Under Massachusetts Law any student facing serious felony charges, regardless of whether the crime happened in or out of school, is subject to an indefinite suspension hearing in front of Lynn Public School administrators.”As a result of the arrest he was held and transferred to the Department of Youth Services,” said Iarrobino. “If and when he is released he would be facing an indefinite suspension hearing. Massachusetts general law states that any student charged with a serious felony can be suspended indefinitely until the case is disposed of.”According to police, the student’s attack was premeditated, as he allegedly directed an aerosol can toward another student, sprayed it and ignited the liquid with a lighter, creating a torch effect.The student’s sweatshirt caught fire prompting the victim to run into another student who then also caught fire.Iarrobino said the flames never reached either student’s skin and were extinguished on the clothing, preventing injury.The Fecteau-Leary building, the former Classical High School, is home to both the Classical Freshman Academy and the Fecteau-Leary Junior Senior High School, a program primarily for students with special needs or behavioral problems.Iarrobino confirmed that the student attended the junior senior high school and was not a member of the Classical freshman class.