An administrator who held the first positions dealing with diversity at the Merrillville Community School Corporation will retire at the end of the month.
Danny Lackey, Ed.D., said while he will leave Merrillville schools, he hasn’t ruled out sharing the wealth of knowledge and experience he has gained along the way by doing consulting work or writing a book.
“First of all, I plan on taking some time to stand still, listen, rest, rejuvenate and be mindful of my physical, emotional and spiritual needs,” Lackey said. “Afterwards, I will explore how I can continue to make a difference in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Lackey held many titles over his 24-year career with the school corporation, most recently that of executive director of student support services in the corporation’s central office. Along the way, he held the roles of director of diversity and student support services, diversity coordinator, and guidance counselor at both Merrillville High School and Pierce Middle School, where he first started his career with the corporation in 1998.
School Trustee and Board Secretary Linda Jonaitis, who was the principal at Pierce Middle School at the time, hired Lackey, who came from the Family & Youth Services Bureau of Porter County, Inc., and brought education and experience in mental health and social work.
In his roles over the years, he interfaced with many community entities, including the Town of Merrillville, Regional Health Board, Northwest Indiana Urban League Board, Merrillville Boys and Girls Club Board, Merrillville Rotary Club, and the Supporting Addiction-Free Environments Board.
Even before he formally held the role of diversity coordinator, Lackey worked with the S.T.A.N.D. (Socially Together and Naturally Diverse) Club, a diversity group as well as a community service club that he started at Pierce Middle School. He added a club when he moved to work at the high school and then later at Merrillville Intermediate School.
In one of the most active clubs in the school corporation, S.T.A.N.D. students "stand" against any acts of hatred and injustice that they may see or experience because of differences and celebrate and embrace the fact that members are welcoming, open-minded and able to commit to activities that are truly important. The club’s activities and events have impacted thousands of students and families.
“My fondest memories of working at MCSC was when I was the sponsor of the S.T.A.N.D. Clubs at Pierce and at MHS,” Lackey said. “It gave me the greatest joy, because it allowed me to provide a safe space for kids to discover their ability to lead and serve, especially in the areas of community service and social justice.”
Jonaitis read about the club that was operating in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and encouraged Lackey to help bring it to middle school. Lackey drew upon the experience he gained in Porter County with a club called Teens United for Ethnic Awareness and established the S.T.A.N.D. Club at Pierce Middle School.
“S.T.A.N.D. was my side job, and it was a blessing,” Lackey said. “I’m so proud of the work those middle school students did.”
The club became the first recipient of the Ricky Byrdsong Award for its influence in getting a Lemonheads poster depicting gun-toting children removed from public view at a local store shortly after the Columbine School shooting occurred. These actions caught the attention of the Anti-Defamation League and the media.
The award was presented by the Ricky Byrdsong Foundation that was started by Sherialyn Byrdsong in memory of her husband, the Northwestern coach who was gunned down by a white supremist while jogging in his Skokie neighborhood in 1999.
Lackey said he took the students up to Evanston, Illinois, for the ceremony to accept the award.
“I’m very proud of that,” he said. “It became the foundation of many more monumental things that came out of S.T.A.N.D.”
"S.T.A.N.D. helps build an atmosphere of togetherness throughout Merrillville schools, where differences are not only tolerated, they are accepted," said Alison Skertic, a teacher at Merrillville High School who worked as a S.T.A.N.D. co-sponsor with Lackey for several years.
She said Lackey worked tirelessly to fund trips for the students to cities like Washington, D.C., and New York.
"Many of the students could not afford these experiences without Dr. Lackey's dedication," Skertic said. "The looks on their faces as they explored the cities and gained insight into the country's history was something I'll never forget."
She added that Lackey arranged yearly student exchange programs, so students could see what life was like at other school systems, initiated annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations, arranged community service experiences and so much more.
Another memory of the group’s far-reaching impact was illustrated when the high school club hosted Judy Shepard to speak with MHS students about the hate crime that ultimately killed her son Matthew Shepard, an openly gay University of Wyoming freshman. Matthew was brutally beaten in Laramie, Wyoming, because of his sexual orientation.
“The S.T.A.N.D. kids wanted her there,” Lackey said. “It was highly controversial. You can’t force teachers to bring their kids down.”
Lackey said when Shepard spoke to an auditorium that ultimately overflowed with MHS students and staff, it was so quiet a person could hear a pin drop. At the end, kids stayed to talk with her, gave her hugs and even cried.
"It was one of the more memorable events arranged by Dr. Lackey,” Skertic recalled. “Her story made a huge impression on everyone who was there.”
“I was so proud of our S.T.A.N.D. kids,” Lackey said. “This was very progressive for Merrillville.”
The MHS Poetry Slam Team and Impact Day are two ongoing activities that resulted from S.T.A.N.D. The Poetry Slam Team provides the opportunity for students to express themselves by authoring their own poems, performing them and even competing against students in other schools.
Impact Day was created by S.T.A.N.D. alumni and Lackey who modeled it after a program on MTV. Lackey said the event is held once every trimester and has had a profound impact on the culture and climate of MHS. The program invites 100 students from diverse backgrounds to the fieldhouse for a day of sharing, breaking down barriers and empowerment.
“Our district has a social conscious, and I’m proud of that,” said Lackey. “It’s just some of the work I have had the honor of being behind with the kids in the forefront.”
In 2008, Lackey became the school corporation’s first coordinator of diversity, a position created by former Superintendent Tony Lux, Ph.D., as a result of the changing demographics of the community and school.
In this new role, Lackey collaborated with administrators and teachers to address academic achievement gaps, implemented diversity training for new teachers and ongoing corporationwide cultural competency training. He also implemented corporationwide antibullying activities.
When his position was elevated to the role of director in 2014, Lackey took over the corporationwide supervision of school nurses, school social workers, and most recently the Family and Community Engagement Specialists (F.A.C.E.S.).
There were only social workers at the elementary schools, and some were split between buildings, when he began his administrative role. Currently the school corporation is working on growing a team of 17 social workers.
“They have made a huge difference in the social and emotional well-being of our kids,” said Lackey. “They put out so many fires we know nothing about because the work they do is confidential.
“They collect data, record conversations, deal with crises, and address behavior barriers that keep kids from being present in the classroom,” he continued. “They have been phenomenal.”
Lackey said he came to Merrillville Community School Corporation in 1998 because he loved working with kids. He said his position in Porter County depended on teenagers showing up.
“I decided I wanted to be in a space where kids show up, and they show up at school,” he said.
He hopes people remember him as someone who always puts kids first.
“Any decision I have made, it was always what’s in the best interest of the children,” Lackey said. “It may have been controversial at times, but so be it!”