FAYETTE — A local educational non-profit will have an informational meeting about charter schools in Fayette this weekend.

Representatives from The African American Rite of Passage Inc. and from Phoenix Project will have an educational and informational charter school seminar 5 p.m. Saturday at the Triangle Mart, 1005 Main St., Fayette.

TAARP Director Iretha Beyah has advocated for charter schools in the area before, and she said after following the Mississippi legislature’s 2012 session she believes the charter schools hit a dead halt because too few parents were informed about what charter schools are and the impact they can have.

“Because of that, we decided to hold some seminars in strategic areas in Mississippi,” Beyah said.

While TAARP has in the past advocated for a charter school in Waterproof — it did not ultimately come to fruition — Beyah said Saturday’s meeting will just be informational.

“We are at a very basic point right now, just providing information,” she said.

During the legislative session, lawmakers passed a new school accountability ranking system, based on the A-F grading scale. In Louisiana, support for charter school reforms gained momentum after a similar system was adopted.

Beyah said that, based on the A-F rating system, Fayette was one of the strategic areas ripe for knowledge of the benefits of a potential charter school system.

“We chose Fayette because they are dealing with the issue of failing schools,” she said.

For more information, call 601-392-1311.