School boards are supposed to act as a bridge between local communities and legislature. Davis School Board has been acting heavily with the legislature and not with our communities.

2. What unique qualities, attributes, skills, and experiences do you possess that make you the best candidate in this race?

I’m a parent and a huge reader; I’m very passionate about representation, especially for typically underrepresented groups. I do not feel that there is a single voice on the Davis School Board that has those voices in mind and I would like to ensure they have at least one person standing up for them.

3. Please explain your priorities if elected, as well as why you believe you are uniquely capable of achieving those priorities.

My priority is to stop book bans. The book bans are unconstitutional as they violate students rights to read and learn and access information. Those rights can only be limited in very narrow circumstances. DSD and the school board can choose how they implement the laws but they are not putting in that effort, nor are they transparent in why specific books are challenged and how is voting in agreement to ban them, which constituents have a right to know. Book challenges need to be much more rigorous on the part of the challenger before they are actually removed from the shelves and shouldn’t rely on cherry-picked passages out of context of the whole book. Not only that, but so many of the books being challenged deal with race, sexuality, gender identity, and sexual assault, all things that students will encounter in one way or another in their daily lives. There is a clear agenda on which books are being challenged and removed. One person is responsible for about 51 of the books challenged this year alone. One person should not have the ability to challenge and remove books for 70,000 students.

4. Please describe how you view the importance of compromise in politics and provide an example from your own experiences that highlights your perspective.

I think compromise is good in certain situations. I think for something as important as a student’s first amendment rights to read and access the information they want to learn is not something that should be compromised on. Despite the position being nonpartisan, the board is incredibly conservative and many of the members were comfortable saying so in the forum on Monday night. I would like to see them compromise by seeing the humanity in the students who don’t fall within their preferred demographics. I’d also like to add that I grew up in a very small midwestern town in South Dakota (if you’ve ever visited the Corn Palace). I’m very familiar with working in conservative environments and have done so my whole life, so it would not be a new experience for me.

5. How will you balance the views of the vocal public, your political party, and your own understanding and knowledge as an elected representative?

I have spoken with parents and teachers, and other members of the community. I am also a part of this community and have opinions on whether I would like to live near a data center (I do not). I would like to ensure that their voice is being heard and listened to, not ignored on a Senator or Representatives voicemail. I would strive for the common humanity of students in the district, which I would hope is a nonpartisan issue. Students shouldn’t have to deal with being called racial or gendered slurs by their peers when there aren’t adults present.

6. What is the best way for readers to contact you and/or get more information about your platform?

The best way to get into contact with me is through my instagram @janenealforschoolboard. I’m also in the Facebook Group Utah Parents for Teachers and can be found and messaged from there. I’m happy to talk to anyone about anything.