Since the beginning of June, she co-organized the Marshalltown Strong CommUnity Event, which started a conversation about racial equality in the community and the nation; caused Juneteenth to become a city holiday by suggesting it to Mayor Joel Greer; and continues to be in contact with the Marshalltown Community School District regarding students of color.

On Wednesday, Wenner and Taylor Bear, another Marshalltown resident, met with school leadership including Superintendent Theron Schutte.

Wenner said she was “extremely happy” with how the meeting went. According to her, Schutte and other school leadership were open to hearing suggestions and listening to the experiences of her and Bear as previous students of color in the Marshalltown Community School District.

“It was nice to hear from Theron and others involved in the meeting about the continued efforts they have made to address equity within the district,” Wenner said. “I am excited to continue to work together, offer perspective and to see what positive changes are made in the future.”

T-R file photo — Taylor Bear stands beside Aly Wenner as she speaks at the Marshalltown Strong CommUnity event.

As the mother of three children, Wenner hopes to incite changes that will benefit her children and other students in the community. She encourages other parents to be active in their children’s education and be vocal about the changes they believe are necessary.

“Parent involvement continues to be a struggle in the district and I hope parents take this time to become involved in their children’s education and offer ideas and solutions when they have them,” Wenner said.

She noted that the meeting started an important dialogue about racial equality, with all parties sharing their perspectives.

“A majority of the meeting was spent listening to each other and talking about our ‘why’s behind the passion we each had about this issue, Theron included,” Wenner said.

She and Bear also shared a few suggestions on how the district can improve the experience of students of color.

First, they believe students should be taught about race in an age appropriate way through assemblies or small groups.

They also suggested changes to Black history month curriculum to include successful Black figures throughout history.

Lastly, staff should receive additional training on how to address racism.

In preparation for the meeting, Wenner spoke to around six Marshalltown teachers.

“It is very important to me that those who are pushing for change are being solution-based, so I wanted to ensure the things that I had in mind were doable for teachers in our district,” she said.

According to Schutte and MCSD communications director Adam Sodders, the district is dedicated to making improvements.

“The pursuit of inclusion is a constant goal for Marshalltown Schools. One crucial key to maintaining MCSD’s culture of equity and inclusion for students, families and staff, is to bring high-quality professional development and training to our staff,” they said.

In April, district staff participated in the “Creating a Culturally Responsive School Climate” professional development program. They have also been trained in implicit bias, and administrators and school board members have studied works that address inclusion in schools, such as “Our Kids: The American Dream In Crisis” by Robert D. Putnam and “Leaders of Learning: How District, School and Classroom Leaders Improve Student Achievement” by Richard DuFour and Robert J. Marzano.

They also noted that experts on racial equality have been brought in, and the Marshalltown School Board addresses inclusion through the School Improvement Action Committee (SIAC) and the Equity Committee.

“As a district, we know there are always ways we can improve and strengthen our climate of inclusion, and we want to have continued conversations and stronger meaningful engagement with students and families who have any questions or concerns about inclusion at MCSD,” they said.

With a majority of children in the school district students of color, Schutte and Sodders say it is important to address racial equality.

“Our district’s diversity is a major strength and point of pride, and providing equitable education for students from diverse backgrounds is a top priority of ours,” they said.

While Wenner knows it is a long road ahead, she is hopeful for the future of Marshalltown.

“I do not think we are going to be able to solve these problems today, tomorrow, or next week,” she said. “But after our conversation this week I feel confident that the district is committed to doing the absolute best for all of their students.”

——

Contact Anna Shearer at 641-751-6611 or ashearer@timesrepublican.com.