By ALEJANDRA MATOS, Star Tribune

Parents at Hmong International Academy are demanding that the Minneapolis school district appoint a permanent principal that 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.

They say they have had a new principal every year for several years now and want permanent leadership.

The lack of leadership represents a lack of interest by district officials to truly address the needs of the Hmong Community, parents 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, the district's top administrators, including chief executive officer Michael Goar, met with the group of parents 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 African American, 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.

The demand to speak to Goar came after associate superintendent Laura Cavender left a school meeting 20 minutes after it started Thursday night.

The community was outraged, saying she disrespected the families, and questioned her commitment to the school.

One parent said he took unpaid leave from work to speak to Cavender, according to notes from the meeting.

"I sacrificed $700 worth of pay. She insulted me personally," the parent said.

Cavender and other district leaders apologized, saying it the early departure was a misunderstanding. Cavender said she did not know the meeting was called to engage with her.

"My heart is here and I'm here to do the work," she said.