VIDALIA — Two local groups want to meet with the superintendent of schools for Concordia Parish to discuss what they believe to be institutionalized racism in the school system.

In a letter to Superintendent Kerry Laster, representatives with the Catahoula-Concordia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Tri-Parish Ministerial Alliance requested to be placed on the agenda for the next school board meeting to address the matter.

“If we can’t get any dialogue with (Laster), then we’re going to take it to the board and air our concerns to the public,” Concordia-Catahoula NAACP President Justin Connor said.

The group sent a letter to Laster in May asking to meet with her to talk about the issues, but Laster said the meeting never happened because the group wanted to discuss personnel matters.

One of the issues the group wanted to discuss was the termination of social worker Sharon Marie Chester who was fired from Ferriday Upper Elementary in early April.

The group claims Chester was fired because she blew the whistle on racism in the school system, but school and district officials have maintained Chester was fired for not fulfilling contractual obligations.

The latest letter stated the group also wants to be provided with a break down of school test scores, drop out rates, pregnancy rates, expulsion and suspension rates and teacher qualifications before Aug. 10.

All of that information is public record except for pregnancy rates, which the school system does not track, Laster said.

Other issues the group wants to discuss include hiring practices, school discipline programs, athletic programs at the Ferriday schools and the recent placing of an officer in the Ferriday schools.

“The principals were for hiring the officer, and I had the impression so were the teachers,” Laster said.

Connor said the group is just trying to figure out when the Ferriday schools are going to get the same amount of attention the rest of the parish schools are.

“We’re hoping to get this resolved before the school year,” he said.

The next school board meeting is Aug. 9.