IN THE MAPLE RIDGE SCHOOL TRUSTEE RACE: Pascale Shaw

Pascale Shaw

RUNNING AS INDEPENDENT FOR MAPLE RIDGE TRUSTEE

Education assistant/school trustee, age 53

Resident of Maple Ridge for 40 years

I am a mom, a wife, a student, an educator, and a farmer.

Four years ago, when I originally decided to run for a trustee positions, it was after years of working as an education assistant in the Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows school district.

I would come home in tears as a result of being injured – on an almost daily basis – sustaining both physical injuries and those affecting my mental health.

I decided to run for trustee because I felt strongly that there should be someone on the board who could share the realities of what was going in school.

I believed that my unique, hands-on experience in the school system would enable me to be a valuable contributor to our school board team.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pascaleshaw

Instagram: @Pascale_shaw

Website: Pascaleshaw.ca

Phone: 604-219-8859

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Have you held office in past? If so, please specify: I am a one term school trustee with SD42 first elected in 2019.

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CLICK TO CHECK OUT OUR FULL ELECTION GUIDE ONLINE

Questions:

(These answers are presented as the candidates submitted them)

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1. Do you agree with how SOGI material and other sex education is currently taught in the classroom, including LGBTQ2S content and sexual consent?

Yes. While some parents, especially those new to the school system, have expressed concerns about their children learning about different sexual orientations and gender identities, maybe different than they were brought up learning about, the reality is that we have a very diverse student and staff population. All children and staff need to feel safe and welcome at school and it is important for us to have these conversation.

2. Are class sizes too big?

Yes. Gone are the days where one can use the words class size without adding composition. We have a large number of children with diverse needs and abilities in our schools today, much more that in the past and growing. You can not talk about class size when you do not know what the composition will be.

3. Should students with diverse abilities or special needs be taught in regular classrooms?

Yes, with a big “however.”

Our government is clear when they say children with diverse abilities and needs should be taught in the classroom alongside peers their age.

What they fail to mention is that some children with diverse needs and abilities are not able to succeed in the loud, bright, and busy four walls of a classroom.

They also leave out that often the level of work that is taking place in the classroom is too advanced and not at all engaging to the level at which a student may be learning.

Why are we essentially forcing a child to be in the classroom, to say that they are “in the classroom” and “with their peers,” when sometimes this leads to extreme frustration?

The reality is that we have children working in hallways, rooms the size of broom closets, libraries, stages, and other nooks and crannies in the school, because a child cannot succeed in the classroom.

All children deserve a place where they can thrive and for some, that place is not in the classroom.

Let’s change the conversation and start talking about how we can provide the space, staff, and resources so we can produce meaningful programming for all children.

4. Is the provincial government providing enough funding for public schools?

No. We are having to using money that was intended to go toward education for purchasing land, making repairs and covering many additional expenses that the government should be covering.

5. Should students be taught how to administer Naloxone in school?

Yes.

6. Should there be more emphasis on STEM courses in schools?

Yes. We need all the creators, problem solvers, innovators, and inventors we can get.

7. Do we need a post-secondary institution/campus in Pitt Meadows or Maple Ridge?

Yes. Distance to post secondary and lack of reasonable transportation are the two biggest hurdles for people wanting to access post secondary. While many school have now added a remote learning component, thanks to Covid, in person options are still very difficult to access without a vehicle.

8. Is bullying a problem in local schools?

Yes.

9. Should there be more emphasis on Indigenous-based history and culture courses?

Yes. Yes. I am currently enrolled in an Indigenous History course at TRU. The history I learned in school is not the true history. Every child going through out education system should be learning true Canadian history.

10. Should the district have a strategy to reduce the use of portables?

Yes. The government should have a strategy to reduce the use of portables by having to fund them. Then and only then might they provide sufficient funds in a timely manner that we can build schools before we waste more money on temporary spaces. We as a district are required to foot the bill for these portables so there seems to be no sense of urgency for the government to address this problem.

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

How the questions were presented to each candidate

Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows news readers have told us how much they value this important, straight-forward reference guide that helps orient them with the range of choices on the ballots – both at the council and school board levels.

Towards that end, we have attempted to make this package available (along with the following instructions) to each of the candidates in a timely fashion ahead of the Oct. 15 election.

Please read carefully before you start to fill this out.

To help voters in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows make their choices on election day, The News is asking local candidates 10 issue-based questions.

You must provide a ‘yes,’ a ‘no,’ or a ‘don’t know’ (Y, N, D) response to EACH of these questions.

Each question MUST be answered with yes (Y), no (N), or Don’t Know (D). This will be published in a grid in the Oct. 6 edition. Any questions not answered will be LEFT BLANK.

Candidates may also expand on ANY OR ALL of these questions (to a maximum of 200 words each). Please note any responses longer than that will be cut off at the 201-word mark.

Due to space limitations, we can only guarantee to run one of these answers in The News print edition ahead of the election. You must CLEARLY indicate which expanded answer you want to see published in print. If you do not specify, we will choose. Any and all expanded answers provided will be published online at www.mapleridgenews.com.

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