JOHNSTON, Iowa — A group of parents in Johnston are looking for answers after the school board decided to not move forward with an equity audit.
An equity audit is designed to take a deeper look at fairness in the district's policies, programs and practices.
Lynn Meadows, the district's communication director, stated in an email the school board decided
"[The school board came] together to agree upon the scope of work that needs to be done," said Lynn Meadows, the district's communication director, in an email. "Once they agree on that scope of work, then an RFP can be put out to see which companies are available to achieve that."
Alicia Huguelet and Glenda Brown both have children in the Johnston Community School District and are group members in Johnston Parents for Equity & Anti-Racism.
Both noted the decision the school board made was not what they were hoping for.
"The time is definitely now to prioritize this," Huguelet said.
Huguelet noted the equity audit has been a topic of conversation in the district since 2020. That's when the school district made it a part of its strategic plan.
However, now that a proposal was finally brought up, only to be denied, Huguelet wonders if the audit will ever happen.
"I gave the district a lot of grace dealing with the COVID pandemic," Huguelet said. "I think this just has continued to be delayed and delayed and I'm concerned it's not going to move forward that it's going to continue to languish."
Brown noted the school having an equity audit sooner rather than later would fix problems happening in the district, such as the issues her son experienced.
"My son's name is Jaylen," Brown said. "He's being called Tyrone on a daily basis and he didn't understand why. And it was the first time I've ever heard my son tell me, 'Mom, I'm facing microaggressions daily at school.'"
Both moms also noted they want the district to fill the position for the director of diversity, equity and inclusion. The district noted the equity audit is their priority at this time, but there is no timeline for when the audit could happen.