First Lady Sandra Deal prepares to read Who I'd Like To Be to students at Hand-In-Hand Primary School.

According to Georgia’s first lady, reading is a big “Deal.”

Sandra Deal visited local schools on Wednesday to push “Read Across Georgia.” The goal of Gov. Nathan Deal’s initiative is to raise reading proficiency in Georgia.

In his State of the State address earlier this year, Gov. Deal shared statistics released by experts regarding students who cannot read at a third grade level by the time they finish third grade. According to the experts, these students are more likely to drop out of school, land in prison and have higher unemployment rates later in life.

First Lady Deal’s initial stop in Thomas County was Hand-In-Hand Primary School. As she was escorted onto the campus in a black sports utility vehicle, students greeted her with songs, smiles and signs.

See Thursday’s edition for more details.