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Turner Adds Role of District Diversity Coordinator
Oct. 14, 2020
Lindbergh Schools is pleased to announce that Special School District Area Coordinator Johnicka Turner will take on the additional role of district Diversity Coordinator for the 2020-21 school year.
Turner has been an active leader on the district’s Equity and Diversity Committee since its inception, and serves as an advocate for Lindbergh High School students and families in her current role with Special School District.
As Lindbergh’s Diversity Coordinator, Turner will lead and support districtwide professional learning for staff, students and the Lindbergh community. She began her career as an educator in 2005, and has worked at Lindbergh High School since 2008, first as a resource teacher for SSD of St. Louis County, and since 2012 as an Area Coordinator. As Area Coordinator, she has co-developed and facilitated monthly SSD equity workshops, and collaborated to review Lindbergh’s student discipline policies, identifying strengths and areas inconsistent with anti-bias and anti-racist practices. In addition, Turner has guided Black students to create and sponsor the Black Student Union at LHS, and she has co-sponsored the LHS Student Equity Club. She also co-developed and leads Lindbergh’s districtwide Equity and Diversity committee.
Turner holds an Educational Specialist Degree and a Master of Arts in Special Education from Webster University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Manhattanville College. Her training includes Leadership and Equity Institute, IncludED Dignity Framework training, Cognitive Coaching Seminar, Adaptive Schools Seminar and Instructional Coaching Seminar.
More About Lindbergh’s Equity and Diversity Committee
Lindbergh Schools is committed to creating and maintaining a welcoming, equitable and inclusive environment that is reflective of and celebrates our diverse student population. We strive to uphold high academic standards for all students through culturally responsive classroom instruction, professional learning and sustainable relationships with community stakeholders.
In an effort to promote equity and diversity districtwide, Lindbergh Schools formed an Equity and Diversity Committee at the conclusion of the 2018-19 school year. The committee's mission is to empower its members to recommend inclusive policy and cultural changes in order to create an educational community that corrects disparities and prioritizes diversity.
This committee is comprised of district staff, students and family members. Several subcommittees exist within this committee, including policy, community engagement, professional learning and curriculum, hiring and academic access.
During the 2019-20 school year, the Equity and Diversity Committee:
- Reviewed district discipline policies and made recommendations for improved practices.
- Reviewed interview question protocols and worked with our Human Resources department for improved practices.
- Surveyed all district staff in relation to self-awareness, unconscious bias and cultural competencies.
- Worked with Lindbergh High School students to create professional learning opportunities for families.
- Recommended mobile hotspots for district families without internet access. Our Technology department distributed mobile hotspots in the spring of 2020.
- Recommended the purchase of equity and diversity training materials for all English department chairs and curriculum writers. These materials will be implemented during English language arts curriculum revisions in July 2020.
- Began the implementation of equity standards into all curriculum revisions.
During the 2020-21 school year, all Board Advisory Committees will have Equity and Diversity Committee members provide recommendations for their specific areas of study.