Matt Sones
Non-Partisan | Georgia
Candidate Profile*
Moderate
*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Matt Sones
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2022
Election
Primary
Race
Gwinnett County Board of Education, District IV
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Georgia State University, Atlanta, PhD, 2017
Emory University, Atlanta Georgia, MPH, 1999
Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, MS, 1994
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, BS, 1990
WORK & MILITARY
U.S. Army, First Lieutenant, 4
AFFILIATIONS
Boy Scouts, Assistant Scoutmaster
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
OTHER INFORMATION
Party Primary Election Voting History for Matthew Curtis Sones during time of residence in district and/or at current address:
- 2020 Party Primary: Democrat
- 2018 Party Primary: did not vote
- Voted in 3 Republican Primaries 1996-2016
QUESTIONNAIRE*
*Additional information was received after the evaluation was assigned and was not considered in the Panel Evaluations, therefore it is for additional educational purposes only.
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Strongly Agree
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Agree
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
School districts should be able to use taxpayer money for lobbying the state legislature.
Neutral
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
I support government funding of public education.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Strongly Agree
School districts should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Strongly Agree
Students should not be allowed to pray in school.
Disagree
If a child wants to pray at school, I'm fine with that, as long as it doesn't disrupt learning activities.
EDUCATION
What is the function of the local school board?
To develop performance standards, programmatic budgets, develop strategic plan, hire superintendent to implement strategic plan. Hold superintendent accountable for achieving performance standards within the district.
Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
I think this should occur at multiple levels, including state and local school boards.
When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
When parents threaten school board members or other parents.
Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): Mathematics, Information Technology, Science, Political Activism, Personal Finances, Gender Identity, Physical Fitness, American History, Critical Race Theory, Language Arts, Art & Music, Vocational Learning, Sexuality, Foreign Language, Social Emotional Learning
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, American History, Art and Music, Information technology, physical fitness, vocational learning.
American civics education should emphasize our nation's founding principles of liberty and equality.
Agree
Before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL), they must opt-in with written parental permission.
Agree
The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
Disagree
I support the teaching of curricula (such as the 1619 Project, No Place for Hate, Second Step, etc.) that emphasizes slavery and racism as the foundation of American history.
Choose not to answer
I am not familiar enough with these curricula to make an informed decision however, I believe we can teach about racial injustice in a way that leads to understanding rather than division.
Parents are the ultimate authority in their child’s education and should be able to freely pursue whatever educational options they deem best for their child.
Agree
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a practicing Roman Catholic.
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Neutral
I think this would have to be looked at on a case by case basis.
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
I think a combination of parents and middle or high school health teachers.
If you support the teaching of Sex Ed, please answer the following question: Sexual education should include these topics (list all that apply and add your own, if needed) -- Physical and emotional health outcomes; contraceptive methods; consent; abstinence; sexual orientation and gender identity; human anatomy/the reproductive system; abortion methods and side effects; stages of pregnancy and fetal development; sex acts and pleasures of sex
I would agree that most of these should be taught although I do not think it's appropriate to teach about sex acts.
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Agree
No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.
Agree
No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Neutral
I don't have a problem with a school official using alternate names and pronouns but I'm not sure it would be appropriate for a school official to be involved beyond that.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Disagree
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
No
A candidate's personal moral values should not be relevant when considering a candidacy for elective office.
Strongly Disagree
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Moderate
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/matt-sones-gwinnett-school-board-district-4/image_d079632c-b14a-11ec-91fd-fb5e7a3ceeff.html
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I am very proud to be running for Gwinnett School Board. I am also very proud of Gwinnett Schools and my campaign is focused on providing a chance for all Gwinnett Students to be able to achieve at the highest academic level possible.
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Strongly Disagree
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
i think schools are within their rights to require vaccinations if not vaccinating children poses a significant health risk to other children.
I support mask mandates.
Agree
If it takes a mask mandate to keep kids in the classroom, then I support them. I'd rather have kids wearing masks and being present at school than at home trying to learn virtually.
