The faculty and staff of an Atlanta elementary school have created an online fundraising effort to support a teacher hospitalized with an undisclosed serious illness.

Burgess-Peterson Academy teacher Dionne Huggins has been in the intensive care unit at Emory Midtown Hospital since Jan. 28, where she has been unresponsive, according to a message the school’s principal, David A. White, posted on the school’s Facebook page and PTA newsletter.

Huggins is the school’s Gifted and Talented lead teacher after having taught first grade for many years.

“She is an amazing teacher, a dedicated member of our school family, and a single mom to her awesome 12-year-old son, Jackson,” White wrote.

Her colleagues started a GoFundMe account with a goal of $25,000 to help pay for medical expenses and support her son.

The school is located near I-20 and Glenwood Avenue in East Atlanta.

About the Author

Keep Reading

The board of education for the City Schools of Decatur  is considering closing a K-2 primary school. The board plans to seek community input on redistricting plans and will vote on Dec. 9.  (Natrice Miller/ AJC)

Featured

Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com