New charter school will offer hope for at-risk youth

Indianapolis will become the only city in the country with a school designed for youth passing through the juvenile court system and other troubled students, according to its organizers.

Monday the Indianapolis Charter School Board approved opening of Francis Marion Academy, a school expected to be within Indianapolis Public Schools, to focus on students released from detention and those suspended or expelled from their home school.

The board also approved opening of an offshoot of the program this fall at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center, 2451 N. Keystone Ave, to provide those detained 6 hours of instruction per day. Youth at the center are currently taught by IPS staff.

Scott Bess, chief operating officer of Goodwill Education Initiatives and one of the organizers, expects to open the academy for the 2015-16 school year. Up to 200 students in grades six to 12 could enroll at that time. Some could be ordered to attend the academy as part of their probation.

"This is a win, not just for this application, but for all the students who gone through a time of incarceration or having been suspended or expelled from school and don't have an option today," Bess said. "If you look across this city, you see a lot of crime, a lot of bad things in the news lately, this is an opportunity to take students who don't have anything good going on for them and give them hope."

That hope is support and instruction from teachers and counselors in a highly structured environment will help students earn a Indiana Core 40 diploma and at least one industry-related certificate so they are ready for the workforce.

IPS is expected to provide space for the academy, possibly under a new law that allows the district to contract with charter organizations or management teams to run autonomous schools. IPS School 37, 2605 E. 25th St., has been discussed as a possible site for the academy.

Charles Parkins, detention center superintendent and academy organizer, said there will be many difficulties awaiting them, from funding to teaching with troubled students. Parkins and Marion Superior Judge Clark Rogers originated the plan for the school. They formed Alternatives in Education, the group applying for the charter.

Seeking funding from the philanthropic organizations, the community or seeking legislative changes may be needed to fully fund the school, they said.

Alternatives in Education will begin providing teaching services this fall at the detention center, 2451 N. Keystone Ave. The center has room for 96 youth to be kept. About 1,500 youth pass through the center a year, Parkins said.

The charter board also approved a request to replicate the Indianapolis Lighthouse charter school for middle and high school students to a facility at 4002 N. Franklin Road.

Call Star reporter Eric Weddle at (317) 444-6222. Follow him on Twitter: @ericweddle.