Robert "Spider" Thompson
Democrat | North Carolina
Candidate Profile
Leans Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Robert "Spider" Thompson
Party
Democrat
Election Year
2024
Election
General
Race
Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education, District 4
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Emory & Henry University, Emory, VA, BA, 1984
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Evangelical Lutheran Church of American, Local church council, Professional Educators of North Carolina
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
ENDORSEMENTS
LIBERAL (1)
Public School Strong/Honest Education Action & Leadership (HEAL) Together
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
Pat McCrory (2021)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
Partisan Primary Election Voting History for Robert Lloyd Thompson from North Carolina State Board of Elections during time of residence in the district and/or at current address:
- 2024 Primary - Democratic
- 2022 Primary - Democratic
- Voted in six Democratic Primaries 2004 - 2020
**Election Voting History is not considered during panel evaluations.**
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
What role should the school serve in helping a student with an unwanted or crisis pregnancy?
Schools should not have a role in helping a student with an unwanted or crisis pregnancy. Schools should encourage students to discuss pregnancies with their families. As a public entity, pertinent information regarding community resources should be available for students and families, in order to make informed decisions regarding their health or pregnancy.
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Neutral
“Life begins at conception” is a religious, not scientific, concept. This does not mean that those who believe life begins at conception are incorrect in their beliefs. My faith also aligns with this belief, I still believe that we as a country have several systems and laws that cause conservatives and liberals to contradict themselves.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Agree
Free enterprise system works when there is a balance between producers and consumers. The system is based on each entity looking out its own interest. Theoretically it works until corruption intervenes and governments are instituted to regulate illegal/immoral business practices.
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
I support government funding of public education from Pre-K through college. Education provides opportunities growth in skills, both social and other marketable . It provides opportunities for poorer/lower middle classes to level playing field. Early childhood education needs to be prioritized to make sure children have the foundation for future learning.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Teachers should be required to instruct students on mandated curriculum even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Neutral
I have taught social studies for over thirty-six years in public schools, and I am a Christian; at no time have my morals and religion been violated by mandated curriculum. I have only grappled with how we sometimes lack the true acknowledgement of our past, preventing us from having meaningful conversations on how we can avoid unnecessary transgressions in the future.
EDUCATION
Abortion and gender transitioning providers, including Planned Parenthood, should be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Disagree
I disagree, schools should encourage students to discuss gender transitioning and abortion with their families. As a public entity, pertinent information regarding community resources should be available for students and families, in order to make informed decisions regarding their health or pregnancy.
Consistent discipline creates a safe and orderly environment, which is essential for student learning.
Agree
I agree, and alternative educational opportunities must be provided for students that do not learn well in a conventional classroom, especially when they are impacting the education of others. For education to work every facet must be held accountable...teachers, administrators, parents, and students.
Do you believe print and digital material available or presented to students should be easily accessible for public review, including those without children enrolled in school?
Yes
Yes. The more engagement a community has with their public school, the more we can maximize student engagement and trust.
Educators should give students a thorough education in America's founding documents and cultivate American patriotism.
Agree
I agree the school is responsible for providing an education on America’s founding and our key documents. Cultivating American patriotism would be the effect of the education for some students. I do not agree that it’s the school’s responsibility to cultivate patriotism in isolation.
I support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Agree
I support acknowledging and celebrating diversity within the school community.
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Disagree
I disagree, because of certain Federal protections provided to all United States students through the US Department of Education. I do support State and Local control, as we are able make a bigger impact with local decision-making.
If a member of the public flags (challenges) a book as inappropriate and the school board disagrees, should the board impose a moratorium on when the book can be challenged again? If yes, for how long?
I agree that a local policy should drive this process. I believe it’s reasonable for this book to be challenged once a year.
Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): American History, Art & Music, Civics, Critical Race Theory, Foreign Language, Gender Identity, Information Technology, Language Arts, Mathematics, Personal Finances, Physical Fitness, Political Activism, Science, Sexuality, Social Emotional Learning, Vocational Learning
Language Arts, Mathematics, American History, Civics, Science, Art & Music, Vocational Learning Personal Finances, Information Technology, Foreign Language, Physical Fitness, Political Activism, Social Emotional Learning,
The state should fund education by allowing dollars to follow the child instead of the bureaucracy, through a program which allows parents the freedom to choose their child's school – public, private, or homeschool.
Disagree
I disagree that monies should travel to private institutions, in some cases for-profit institutions. We are already seeing the negative ramifications of this change and there are nationwide examples of this. The State of NC is essentially supporting existing private school families at the expense of an already underfunded institution. State funding dollars aims to ensure all communities have good schools. For parents who homeschool, I do not disagree that there can be certain tax exemptions.
Which should students have: equity of outcomes or equality of opportunities?
Equality of opportunities, and they should experience the empathy of educators when attempting to change their family’s trajectory in life.
Which type of written parental consent should be obtained before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE)? (A) Opt-In. (B) Opt-Out. (C) None.
Opt-In.
Who should make decisions about whether or not a book is appropriate for children? A) the elected school board members; B) an outsourced community committee
Elected school board officials that have to answer questions from their constituents.
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christain. I grew up in a Methodist household and have been a Lutheran church member for nearly 40 years.
Children have a right to reach maturity without chemical or surgical castration, which would damage their healthy bodies through surgeries and may cause a life-long dependence on cross-sex hormones.
Strongly Agree
If sexual education is taught in schools, what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
7th-10th grade. If you work with adolescents, you have the experience to understand the conversations are happening, regardless of the school your child attends.
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman essential to the formation and sustaining of a civil and prosperous society.
Agree
Agree, as marriage is ordained by religious practices. At the same time, I do not agree with infringing on the rights of Americans as law-abiding citizens.
Parents have the fundamental right to raise their child in accordance with their beliefs and values, including the right to make decisions about the child's education and healthcare.
Strongly Agree
Parents should have full and timely access to any and all records, including school and medical records, associated with their minor children.
Strongly Agree
School children have the right to be protected from sexual grooming including drag shows and explicit materials with pictures of sex acts and graphic language.
Strongly Agree
Should schools be giving instruction on how to engage in sexual acts, the pleasures of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or should they instead focus on educating students about the science of reproduction?
Focus on educating students about the science of reproduction. They should also be educated, should the parent agree, on sex education.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Agree
It can and has had discriminatory affects. Driver's licenses are the most used form of photo identification. Many minorities don't seek to obtain a driver's license. My father, who at the time of the 2020 election, had let his license expired because he was no longer driving. Had not the election officials not agreed to his identification, he, who served in the Air Force during Korea and a US Postal Official employee, would not have been allowed to vote,
EQUALITY
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Agree
I agree that they they should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports. Separate facilities should be required for their use.
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
NO
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
NO
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?
Lean Liberal
2ND AMENDMENT
The right to bear arms is fundamental and must be protected.
Agree
With exceptions. I believe in universal background checks for all gun sales, without exception. I also believe in red flag laws. We need to have waiting periods and limits on how often weapons can be purchased. I also believe than common, everyday citizens have no need for assault weapons.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
In the event of a pandemic, school districts can mandate whatever health precautions they deem necessary (including masks and vaccines) to protect students and staff.
Agree
This should be a local school board decision if there is no state-mandated.
