The Abridged version:
- Public officials pulled their endorsements of Elk Grove Unified school board candidate Kirk Thomson after posts by Thomson using derogatory language came to light.
- In multiple posts on the social media platform X, Thomson repeatedly used a slur for people with disabilities.
- Thomson apologized for his remarks and said he is not stepping back from the race.
Multiple public officials pulled back their support of an Elk Grove school board candidate, in response to his use of derogatory language online.
In posts on his private account on the social media platform X, Kirk Thomson repeatedly used a slur for people with disabilities.
Thomson had accumulated endorsements from current and former school board members across Sacramento County, as well as state legislators. He is challenging incumbent Michael Vargas to represent an area at the center of the Elk Grove district.
But as his statements recently came to light, the backlash was quick.
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One of Thomson’s top supporters, Elk Grove school board trustee Heidi Moore, announced Tuesday she was rescinding her endorsement. Former Sacramento County Board of Education member Paul Keefer and Folsom Cordova Unified school board president Jennifer Laret told Abridged by PBS KVIE they too were taking their names off Thomson’s list of backers.
Assemblymember Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, is also pulling his support.
Thomson said in a statement he was sorry for his choice of words.
“The language I used in those posts was wrong,” Thomson said. “Words like that have caused real harm to people with disabilities and their families for a long time. I’m sorry to everyone those words hurt, especially the families in this district who live every day with the reality that language like that makes it harder.”
Officials walk back support
Moore was the only sitting member of the Elk Grove school board to endorse Thomson’s campaign.
But, in a post online, she said she learned Monday about his past social media statements.
“After becoming aware of the comments, I have decided to rescind my previous endorsement of his candidacy,” Moore wrote.
Hoover confirmed to Abridged he was pulling back his endorsement, as well.
“Kirk Thomson’s language and comments are unacceptable, especially for an individual seeking to represent students and families on the school board,” he said.
Laret, from Folsom Cordova Unified, said she reached out to Thomson Tuesday morning asking he remove her endorsement from his website and social media pages.
“In light of the inappropriate social media posts, I will need to rescind my endorsement,” she said in her message to him. “Regardless if the account was public or private, those statements should have not been made.”
Keefer, whose term on the Sacramento County board recently came to an end, similarly asked to be taken off his list of official supporters.
All three have been removed from Thomson’s website.
‘Sharpened my focus’
Vargas, running for his second term on the board, called on his opponent to apologize. He also pointed back to his own comments at a recent board meeting, during which a team of consultants presented their audit of Elk Grove Unified’s special education services.
The review identified gaps in services, and trustees discussed a need to improve campus culture and prevent bullying.
“The use of offensive language is on the rise online,” Vargas said at the Sept. 15 meeting.
“We should continue to push back within our spaces to say … ‘That is not something that is acceptable,'” he added.
Thomson’s platform includes strengthening special education programs, he said. The issue is personal to him, as a father of a son with a disability.
“I know firsthand how much language and attitude shape whether a child with a disability is included, respected, and given a fair shot,” Thomson said.
The recent drop off in support is not dissuading him.
“I don’t think anyone owes me their endorsement right now,” Thomson said, clarifying he is not stepping back from the race.
“If anything, this has sharpened my focus,” he said. “I’m going to keep showing up, keep listening, and keep doing the work to be the kind of trustee this community deserves.”
