This high school principal is breaking down barriers for racialized students

As the Nova Scotia government works to remove systemic barriers in the education system for Black and Indigenous students, one school leader is not waiting for marching orders.

Karen Hudson, principal at Auburn Drive High School in Dartmouth, N.S., has changed the way students at her school are placed on individual program plans (IPPs), which are developed for students who are not able to meet the provincial curriculum.

They are meant to be a last resort after all other supports and adaptations have been exhausted, but a 2016 review found Black and Indigenous students are disproportionately placed on IPPs, and in many cases, it was found the plan was not the most appropriate option for those racialized students.

"There's an opportunity to do better when you know better," said Hudson in a recent interview at her office.

"I want to make sure that all students feel that they are supported and that they can do whatever they put their mind to with the right support in place. That's the lens I come from."

The province launched an equity assessment of IPPs in June 2021 "to identify and remove systemic barriers in education," it said in a news release at the time.

The final report was originally expected in the winter of 2021-22. But three years after announcing the assessment, that report has yet to be released.

Hudson noted as that work carries on, all administrators in the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) have now been trained to "disrupt" the IPP process and do their due diligence when considering whether to place a student on one.

But Hudson does feel her school staff is taking that mission to another level.

"That's the Auburn story, but hopefully it's trickling down to others as well because it's critical," said Hudson, who is embedded in the African Nova Scotian community and pioneered the first Africentric cohort in math and literacy within a public school.

She said not only do IPPs limit a student's ability to continue their education after high school — with some universities and colleges requiring students to upgrade courses before they would be admitted, or outright rejecting an application —  there is also a stigma it carries.

Developed with a team of people including school staff, parents and the student, IPPs can look very different depending on the subject and the student's needs.

One example would be receiving math or reading materials from a lower grade level, and sometimes being provided a secluded place away from their general classroom to complete that work.

Hudson said she takes a wide variety of factors into consideration when mulling whether an IPP is appropriate for a student — their strengths and weaknesses, learning styles, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, and whether all other adaptations have been exhausted.