Parents at Hmong International Academy are demanding that the Minneapolis School District appoint a permanent principal who will stay for more than a year.
About a dozen parents marched a mile from the school to confront school leaders at the district headquarters.
Parents say that the school has had a new principal every year for several years, and that they now want permanent leadership. The lack of reliable leadership shows that district officials are not taking the Hmong community's need seriously, they said.
"Parents feel if there is always a change, it means the goals change, so they don't feel they are receiving the right support from teachers and the district," Mailor Vang said.
Once at the district headquarters, top administrators, including chief executive Michael Goar, met with the group for nearly two hours.
They demanded the district give the school a permanent principal and assistant principal who both speak Hmong and understand the culture.
But one parent, who is black, walked out, saying the school needs a strong leader, not just a culturally competent leader.
Goar said he wants to hear from more parents at the school. He committed to personally attending the next community engagement meeting in early November.
