LYNN — Danissa Lopez, a bilingual reading specialist for the city’s school district, presented strategies to combat the district’s literacy issues to the City Council during its meeting on Tuesday.
She told the council that 109 Lynn English High School students failed the MCAS in 2024 and the number of students who achieved a score in the “exceeds expectations” category is continuing to decrease.
Lopez said the district is not meeting the needs of bilingual students or special-education students, particularly students with dyslexia.
She said a lot of the pressure to solve this issue falls on the school district and its teachers, but there are other actions families and local organizations can take to improve students’ literacy.
“While we wait for educational laws and mandates to embrace justice, we must continue giving our young people what they need to thrive in this world,” Lopez said.
She said a first step in mitigating the issue would be raising awareness about dyslexia with “family-friendly” and jargon-free education.
Another step she said the district can take is partnering with Lynn Public Library to provide “decodable” books for students who have trouble reading. That way, when students start a semester, they can easily access materials that are conducive to their learning.
Lopez also suggested using community television channels to broadcast educational material from the schools in different languages.
“There is so much potential there,” she said.
She added that another way the city can assist parents in helping students in their path to literacy is ensuring there is clear communication between the city and students’ families, so parents can understand what is happening in school and know how they can support their children at home.
“The youth are feeling helpless. They’re stuck. They have limited options. The world is very different from when we grew up, and even four years after the COVID pandemic, things have been different. We need to respond to the needs of our children,” Lopez said.
During the meeting, the council also recognized the U12 and U14 girls soccer teams for their victories in the 2024 Essex County Youth Soccer Association Tournament.
Each of the teams’ players received their own citation from the council and the opportunity to shake hands with Mayor Jared Nicholson.
“We have a strong program here in the City of Lynn, and that doesn’t happen without the commitment and dedication of all our volunteers and coaches,” Nicholson said.
Addressing the players, he said he knows that they will carry the lessons they are learning on the field with them throughout their lives.
“We’re proud to see that unfolding on the fields of our city, and we’re grateful for your commitment to yourself because it makes our city a better place,” Nicholson added.
Coaches Steve Johnson and Karyn Miller presented a pink jersey to Nicholson.
The council and Nicholson also presented a citation to Mathieu Severance for his commitment to service.
Severance attended Lynn English and went on to play college football at Bentley University. He then attended the Kansas City Chiefs Minicamp before signing with the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes.
Councilor-at-Large Brian LaPierre explained that Severance will defer playing for the Alouettes to join a Christian ministry at Boston College.
“Although he’s putting his football career on pause right now, he wants to lift up the spirits of not only our city, but our youth. He is putting his talents to work, and I think that’s a very noble profession,” LaPierre said.
