We are writing to urge our fellow community members to vote no on Diane Livingston in the upcoming State School Board election. While she presents herself as an advocate for education, her affiliations, actions, and lack of qualifications tell a different story.First and foremost, Ms. Livinginston is affiliated with Utah Parents United. She spoke on behalf of the group as recently as February 7th, during the last legislative session. UPU is a conservative Christian advocacy group that is pushing for a statewide ban on certain books in our public schools and libraries. They even publish training videos on how parents can scare teachers, libraries, and school districts into removing curriculum materials. This is a dangerous precedent to set, limiting our children’s access to diverse perspectives and ideas. Banning books undermines the critical thinking skills and open-mindedness that our education system should be fostering.Additionally, Ms. Livingston has misrepresented herself and her platform. She is running as an independent when her platform hues closely to that of the extreme far right in this state. On her website, she claims to “focus on children, not political parties.” The truth is she has been a partisan activist in the Park City School District for years. She led a group of parents that challenged over 40 books that had been carefully vetted by a district-approved process, These challenges took place after the last of her children had graduated, and these curriculum materials no longer had any direct impact on her family. The truth is, she has used local book banning efforts to launch herself into state politics. Our school board needs transparency and integrity, not hot-button partisan attacks.Partisan politics aside, Ms. Livingston simply lacks the experience necessary to effectively serve on the state School Board. The incumbent, Carol Lear, has spent over five decades in education. She was a high school English teacher, a high school administrator, and spent a large portion ofher career at the state Board of Education as an education attorney. Ms. Lear has a proven track record of supporting teachers, improving school policies, and advocating for student needs. In contrast, Ms. Livingston briefly held a position as an elementary school teacher before leaving the workforce to raise six children. Yes, being a parent is a full-time job,but no, that job experience does not compare to a life spent working in the education sector.Compared to Lear, Livingston is ill-equipped to handle the complexities of this role. For the sake of our students, teachers, and future, I encourage all voters to reject Diane Livingston and cast their vote for a candidate who truly values education, experience, and honesty.Mark Parker, Anna WilliamsPark CityThe post Not a good choice appeared first on Park Record.