By Terry Richards

terry.richards@gaflnews.com

VALDOSTA — A candidate for the state school superintendent’s office visited Valdosta Wednesday.

Jaha Howard, a pediatric dentist and a Democratic member of the Cobb County Board of Education, was at the Castle Park shopping center in Valdosta, where Floyd Griffin, a candidate for Georgia secretary of state, was holding a meet-and-greet with voters. Howard was not traveling with Floyd but said when he heard Floyd would be in Valdosta, asked if he could meet up there.

“I have significant concerns about statewide leadership regarding education, particularly literacy rates,” he said.

Howard said he is disappointed with education leadership’s “collaboration to ban books and debate (critical race theory) while showing little concern for reading and writing.”

Critical race theory is the study of racism in modern America. On Thursday, Gov. Brian Kemp plans to sign House Bill 1084, which would outlaw “divisive concepts and ideologies” from being taught in schools. He also plans to sign Senate Bill 226, which would allow removal of “obscene materials” from school libraries, according to a statement from the governor’s office.

Critics have said the bills are a means to ban critical race theory from being taught in schools and to impose censorship on school libraries.

“A common thread I’ve picked up from talking to educators and administrators is that we need statewide leadership whose only ‘special interest group’ is children,” Howard said.

Georgia’s primary elections are May 24. Early voting starts May 2.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.