Indianapolis Public Schools is looking to add Hope Academy, Indiana’s only recovery high school, to its portfolio of charter school partners.
Hope Academy has been serving substance-impacted students – those in various stages of addiction and recovery – for 16 years. Last summer, the school relocated to 3919 Madison Ave., on the city’s south side, with the hopes of better serving students of color, who traditionally lack access to such programs. Partnering with IPS through its innovation network will strengthen that initiative, said Rachelle Gardner, executive director of Hope Academy.
“It’s a national issue that students of color struggle with getting this type of support,” she said. “We’re hoping this partnership will do a couple of things. It will allow us and IPS to come together and serve all students in the IPS district, but particularly students of color, with this type of specialized recovery support and education. It will also help us to help the teacher and staff in the IPS district to understand a little more about substance-impacted students.”