Richmond school trustee candidate Helen Quan says she is running to prioritize students, support safe schools and protect classroom resources.
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Helen Quan is running for school trustee as an independent candidate, listing her home neighbourhood as Richmond City Centre.
Quan said she studied business administration at McGill University and has more than 40 years of business and management experience, including operating a restaurant chain.
She also said she has volunteered for more than 30 years with organizations supporting youth, families, seniors and newcomers, and that she is president of the Metro Vancouver Volunteer Association.
In her campaign priorities, Quan said she wants to put students first, support safe schools, protect classroom resources, and ensure families are heard. She also highlighted her history as a Lions Club member for 31 years, a former Richmond 32nd Scout Group leader, and a former member of the Richmond RCMP multicultural advisory committee.
Quan said she believes schools should teach more basics such as reading and math and that curriculum should focus more on trades training.
She said she does not think there is enough focus on social issues in the curriculum and said students should be taught drug awareness in high school.
Regarding elementary track meets, Quan said they should be more inclusive, arguing that Richmond’s elementary track meets already included every student and should continue to do so.
She said the district removed individual ribbons and combined girls’ and boys’ events before conducting a broader family survey, and she pointed to that survey’s results, including that 92 per cent of responding parents and 87 per cent of responding students supported awarding ribbons for competitive events, with 84 per cent of responding parents preferring separate competitive events for girls and boys.
Quan said she supports restoring ribbons and separate competitive events for girls and boys as a trustee, saying a track meet should include every child and recognize achievement.
She also said students should have more outdoor education opportunities, and she said artificial intelligence should not be banned in schools.
On technology, Quan said she does not support banning cellphones in Richmond schools and instead supports the existing policy. She said the Richmond School District’s policy was approved by the board of education on June 19, 2024 and takes effect July 1, 2024.
Under that policy as described by Quan, elementary students should not have personal digital devices during the school day unless permitted by supervising staff for educational purposes, while secondary students are not allowed to use personal digital devices during class unless permitted by supervising staff.
Quan said exemptions also apply for medical, accessibility and accommodation needs.
She said she supports SOGI policies in Richmond schools, saying every student deserves a safe, welcoming school free from bullying and discrimination, and that she will push for clearer communication with families, including advance information about what is taught and when, resources in multiple languages, and regular opportunities for parents to share feedback.
Quan said she did not provide an answer to the question about whether teachers are adequately paid.
The source also indicated that questions were put to municipal candidates and that responses were to be published online from Sept. 28 to Oct. 8.
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