Whitfield County native seeks to be state school superintendent
Apr. 24—Whitfield County native Currey Hitchens said she left her dream job to run for state school superintendent because she wants students to receive a good education.
The child of teachers and a former teacher herself, Hitchens was working as an attorney with Atlanta Legal Aid, which provides free legal services to low-income people in civil matters, where she represented students in school discipline matters or special education cases.
Hitchens met Thursday night with members of the public at Dalton Brewing Co. Hitchens is seeking the Democratic nomination for state school superintendent in the May 24 general election primary. She faces Cobb County school board member Jaha Howard, Clayton County teacher James Morrow and former state House of Representatives member Alisha Thomas Searcy.
Hitchens (curreyhitchens.com) said she and other student advocates talk regularly about education and how they can help students receive a better education.
"This year, there were some bills passed that I thought were harmful to students, and I know other student advocates who share those concerns," she said.
She mentioned House Bill 1084 which has been dubbed the "divisive concepts" law because a section prohibits the teaching of nine concepts designated as divisive: "one race is inherently superior to another race; the United States of America is fundamentally racist; an individual, by virtue of his or her race, is inherently or consciously racist or oppressive toward individuals of other races; an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race; an individual's moral character is inherently determined by his or her race; an individual, solely by virtue of his or her race, bears individual responsibility for actions committed in the past by other individuals of the same race; an individual, solely by virtue of his or her race, should feel anguish, guilt or any other form of psychological distress; performance-based advancement or the recognition and appreciation of character traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or have been advocated for by individuals of a particular race to oppress individuals of another race; and any other form of race scapegoating or race stereotyping."
"That's bad for teachers and students," Hitchens said. "You are not getting a good education, and you are not learning about everything you need to learn. You are not learning how to discuss difficult topics with one another in a civil manner."
She said she would work to improve school safety by promoting mental health care in schools for both students and teachers.
A 1998 graduate of Northwest Whitfield High School, Hitchens earned a bachelor's degree in education from Agnes Scott College and taught fourth grade in the City Schools of Decatur for two years. She earned a master's degree in education from the University of Georgia and a law degree from Emory University School of Law.
She served as a staff attorney in the Dalton office of the Georgia Legal Services Program for three years.
"I worked at the Piedmont office of Georgia Legal Services for six years and was a supervising attorney in that office while also working with the statewide Georgia Victim Legal Assistance Network," she said.
