Jennifer Showalter
Non-Partisan | Florida
Candidate Profile*
Conservative
*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Jennifer Showalter
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
The School District of Palm Beach County School Board, District 6
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, B.A., 1997
W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, High School, 1993
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Polo Park Middle School (school, plus Math Team, Robotics Team and others), Volunteer Graphic Designer, volunteer, PTA member, Panther Run ES
Volunteer Graphic Designer, volunteer, PTA Board member, Alvey ES (Haymarket, VA), Volunteer Graphic Designer, volunteer, PTA member
Wellington High School Marching Band, Volunteer Graphic Designer, volunteer, Booster Club, Apollo Gymnastics, National Blades Synchro Team, Ice Works Synchro Team, Skate Zone Synchro Team, PBC Rec League Baseball Teams, Prince William Soccer League
Team Mom, volunteer Graphic Designer & photographer, Dominion Valley Swim Team, Team Photographer & Graphic Designer, volunteer
First Baptist Church of Roanoke, Park Valley Church, Parkwood Baptist Church, and local church, volunteer, Facebook - Parents of Sensory Processing Disorder Support Group
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
ENDORSEMENTS*
*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
LIBERAL (1)
*Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association
OTHER (1)
Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Florida
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (4)
Rep. Bev Kilmer
Laura Zorc of BEST
The Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Florida
Barb & Mel Grossman - Founders of the Palm Beach County Tea Party
SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (12/1/2021 - 12/31/2021)
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (Amended) (12/1/2021 - 12/31/2021)
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (1/1/2022 - 1/31/2022)
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (2/1/2022 - 2/28/2022)
- $53.00 expenditure to Republican Club of the Palm Beaches
- $53.00 expenditure to Republican Club of the Palm Beaches
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (3/1/2022 - 3/31/2022)
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (4/1/2022 - 4/30/2022)
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (5/1/2022 - 5/31/2022)
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (6/1/2022 - 6/17/2022)
- $100.00 expenditure to Republican Party of Palm Beach County
- $100.00 expenditure to Moms for America
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (6/18/2022 - 7/1/2022)
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (7/2/2022 - 7/15/2022)
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (7/16/2022 - 7/22/2022)
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (7/23/2022 - 7/29/2022)
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (7/30/2022 - 8/5/2022)
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (8/6/2022 - 8/18/2022)
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (8/19/2022 - 8/26/2022)
- Campaign Treasurer's Report (8/27/2022 - 9/9/2022)
- $5,000.00 contribution from Republican Party of Palm Beach County
- $5,000.00 contribution from Republican Party of Palm Beach County
OTHER INFORMATION
Voter Record from the Florida Department of State indicates candidate's Political Affiliation is Republican (as of 6/23/2022).
Election Voting History for Jennifer Showalter during time of residence in district and/or at current address:
- Voted in 0 Primary elections
- Voted in 1 Presidential Preferential Primary election (2020)
- Voted in 1 General election (2018)
**Voter history is not considered during panel evaluations.**
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Strongly Agree
School's sole purpose is to provide academic instruction. The parents and the children's physician should be the primary instructor in this area, but I do recognize that some students don't have access to these discussions. It should be presented as basic politically neutral, health education. That means a neutral party, who's sole focus is on providing age appropriate reproductive mechanics, basic anatomy and basic hygiene in factual context, with no political undertone needs to be used.
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Agree
My answer is my personal belief. Once again, I will state that our educational system should not infringe on families' belief systems and faiths. I will respect that parents are their student's primary teacher and that schools should stick to teaching basic facts, academics, and critical thinking skills.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
Free enterprise and the right to private property are both part of the foundational bedrock of our Constitution.
School districts should be able to use taxpayer money for lobbying the state legislature.
Strongly Disagree
The School Districts should not use taxpayer money because the tax payers may hold different views. School Districts should focus on their own policies and procedures, and write their state officials with questions, concerns and present solutions. They are not there to make laws, but to educate the children.
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
I believe that if we continue with government funding of pre-K through college education, that the money should follow the student. Government funded education has declined, and parents need options that most likely will fall outside of the public sector. Unfortunately, many schools refuse the funding because of the massive amount of strings attached. There needs to be less government regulations. Funding should be with no strings attached, in order to provide the most comprehensive and effective individualized plan for each student.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Strongly Agree
The right to speak freely and to exercise religion are both Constitutional Rights. We have Freedom OF Religion, not Freedom from Religion.
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
I don't believe in any form of discrimination, but also say that the School Board should NOT be pushing ANY ideology towards employees or students. Personal beliefs are personal decisions. We have non discrimination policies in place.
Students should not be allowed to pray in school.
Strongly Disagree
The right to pray does not come from any government, neither can it take that away. Students have always been praying in school, and that is a Constitutional Right to do so.
EDUCATION
What is the function of the local school board?
The local school board's function is to facilitate academic learning and achievement, something our school boards have not been doing. They need to stress teaching students how to think, not what to think. Boards need to work in concert not only with administration and teachers, but parents, students and the community to identify problems and develop solutions. Our students are sliding through, or pushed through, the system. The board must curtail those occurrences, and make sure that each student is actually learning and retaining the skills that they need to be successful.
Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
As stated above, the Board must work collectively with the teachers, parents, students and community to develop curriculum and determine resources used.
When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
Parent should not be restricted from speaking at school board meetings unless they cause physical violence at a meeting. The ability to speak and address grievances is protected under the First Amendment.
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
I think this question is a one size fits all box. Some students need math to be the priority and others need music or vocational. Each student is different, and has different needs and goals. That said, I will answer the question as given. I will add problem solving and analysis skills first, Language Arts, Mathematics, Art & Music, American History, Personal Finances, Vocational Learning, Science, Physical Fitness, Foreign Language, Information Technology. Many of these subjects are easily linked together.
American civics education should emphasize our nation's founding principles of liberty and equality.
Strongly Agree
I would also like to stress that equality and equity are not the same entity. American civics needs to address our founding principles and the fact that we stand for individual rights. We are founded on the belief that you are capable of accomplishing your dreams with hard work and dedication. Equity, on the other hand, that many school boards are pushing, forces equal outcomes regardless of merit or effort.
Before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL), they must opt-in with written parental permission.
Strongly Agree
I agree that students must have opt-in written parental permission for those courses, because parental rights are critical. Parents know their children best and should definitely have say in what their children are exposed to in order to make sure it aligns with their families core belief system and values, no matter what that may be.
The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
Neutral
The loss of local control in education is a double edged sword. If the local school board is violating state law, or ignoring parental and individual rights, then having a connection to state and federal would help reign in their gross overreach. On the other side, the federal government doesn't know what is best for a local community. Again, one size does not fit all. There needs to be a balance, to protect the citizens from officials abusing their station.
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.
Strongly Disagree
1619 Project, etc are a foundational part of Critical Race Theory, and have no place in education. These curricula are designed to cause division and discord, not representing actual facts.
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.
Strongly Agree
As stated before, I believe that the money should follow the student, and that we should uphold parent and individual rights. Parents are the true decision makers for their children, and it is not the government's place to supersede that.
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
As a Christian, my personal spiritual beliefs and values lie with my faith in Jesus Christ. I grew up Lutheran and Southern Baptist, but have been a member of non-denominational churches as an adult. I value faith and honesty. A core personal principle is treating those the way I would want to be treated. I believe that our whatever our worldview/faith is, it is the foundation, or crust, what what I call the pie of life. Each slice, or aspect of our life, will have our core beliefs as the foundational crust. My faith is the foundational bedrock of my life.
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Strongly Disagree
As a mother of a female, multi sport athlete, it's very clear that the physiological differences effect sport performance and endurance. Those differences are rooted in their DNA, and the anatomical differences are distinct. We have seen the female athletes not only lose in dramatic fashion to athletes identifying as women, but historical records shattered. It is also of note that it is rare to find females identifying as males transitioning into male sports. Title IX was created for a reason.
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
Parents are responsible for teaching sexual education to their children, and the appropriate age is determined by the parent. That said, there are children who do not have that guidance, and so basic anatomy and health education, if taught by school, should be mid to late middle school. Participation in the class should be by written parental consent, and parents should have full and complete access to all materials that would be presented to their student before the start of class in order to make an informed decision.
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 believe that parents should be the educators of this topic. That said, many children don't receive guidance. If it is needed, then topics should fall under Florida Statutes such as 1003.46 and include: human anatomy, reproductive system, basic hygiene, abstinence, basics of consent, basic facts about pregnancy and the stages of the baby's development in a manner that is age appropriate. Parents should have the right and ability to review all information & opt out their child if so desired.
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Agree
Our Founding Fathers created the foundation of our country on Judeo-Christian values. The belief that we are "endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights..." is the bedrock of our rule of law. We have a Freedom of Religion, not from religion... meaning that we don't have one particular church in charge (ex: the Church of England) but the ability to function within the basic framework, providing liberty and protection for all beliefs.
No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.
Strongly Agree
Our children do not have the ability to self advocate, or have the awareness of issues to the level of an adult. It is the guardian/parent who is in charge until they turn legal age. Children are not able to vote until 18, drive until 16, or drink until 21 for a reason.
No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Strongly Agree
It is not the position of our educational system to take the place of a parent and their physician. Schools are designed specifically to teach academics, and school boards need to act within that framework.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
I believe in Voter ID and election integrity measures. Every citizen has the ability to obtain legal identification. If ID is required for flying, registering for children's sports or even buying alcohol, it should be used to make sure that every vote actually counts.
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.
Disagree
A candidate's personal moral values should be relevant when considering a candidacy because honesty is an extremely important value in elected office. Will that candidate have the morals to refuse bribes? It should be said that basic values should be instinct to everyone, but we know that is not truth in reality. Parents want to see a similar moral basic standard applied to those directing their children's education.
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?
Conservative
I believe in the Constitution, rule of law and Judeo-Christian values that are the foundational bedrock of our nation's founding. Our nation was created for religious freedom and individual rights. Parental rights are incredibly important and must be honored.
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
The Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Florida endorsement press release: "...she has consistently fought a 'system that needs major overhauling in order to accommodate student needs and parent rights.'" Palm Beach Post article: Jennifer Lynn Miller Showalter: A 47-year-old graphic designer, Showalter lives in Wellington. She has vocally denounced the "over sexualization" of students in the district and says that political "indoctrination" impacts their academic performance. Her top campaign priority is addressing what she calls "the gross overreach and disregard of students, parents and teachers, which has led to ignoring individual and parental rights." She said she wants to rebuild transparency and communication between the board and parents in the district. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/who-is-running-for-palm-beach-county-school-board-inside-the-crowded-august-races/ar-AAYADYY
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I am a mother of three, my daughter just graduating valedictorian of Wellington High School, and two twice gifted sons. They are both accelerated learners but have special needs such as HF Autism, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, Gross Motor Delay, Apraxia and more. I've spent 16 years volunteering to help other special needs families as well as those with reading difficulties, because the system is dysfunctional. We need to work together to shine a light on the real issues, and work together (parents, students, teachers and board) to brainstorm solutions. I am about returning the power back to people as well as honoring parent and individual rights. My professional experience and skill sets will assist in redeveloping avenues of communication, transparency and accountability. We must return to teaching kids HOW to think, NOT WHAT to think. The school system needs to get back to its original purpose. We must restore strong academics in a "can do" atmosphere, reestablishing strong work ethics and personal responsibility, so our children have the skills needed to succeed, whether in career, trade school or college.
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Agree
I believe that as gun free zones, schools are soft targets. Any willing and able employee with a license to carry should have the ability to go into a specialize training program. That program would be intensive and exhaustive, providing them the necessary additional training in order to help develop proper tactical responses for those high stress, physical situations.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
There are no circumstances where schools should be allowed to require any medical mandate, not just vaccinations. Our country was founded on individual rights, and that covers medical rights. No person should be forced to inject a substance into their body without their consent. Parents know what is best for their child(ren) and should be making their own informed decisions about what is best.
I support mask mandates.
Strongly Disagree
As a mother of two special needs boys who were denied their medical mask exemptions, this question is very important to me. We have Constitutional Rights that include medical rights. Parents should have the right to make the decisions they feel are best for their children. Schools are not our children's physicians and need to stop the gross overreach.
