# Sunshine Coast School District Trustee Election The Sunshine Coast school district (SD46) is split into 3 trustee electoral areas. For more information see the [official school trustee election site](https://sd46.bc.ca/2026-school-trustee-election/) ## Where do Sunshine Coast school board trustee candidates stand on AI in classrooms? ![[preamble]] List of candidates: **Trustee Electoral Area 1 (Upper)** - [[#Tracey McClelland]] **Trustee Electoral Area 2 (Central)** - [[#Lawrence Chen (Weiping Chen)]] - [[#Robin Hansen]] - [[#Tina Joe]] - [[#Donna Lynden]] - [[#Jay D O'Keeffe]] - [[#Brenda Rowe]] **Trustee Electoral Area 3 (Lower)** - [[#Amanda Amaral]] - [[#Mark D Bailey]] - [[#Sue Girard (Susan Girard)]] - [[#Tamara Hedden]] - [[#Erin P Kellie]] - [[#Pammila Ruth]] - [[#Ed Shapero (Edward Leon Shapero)]] ## Trustee Electoral Area 1 (Upper) One trustee will be elected for TEA 1 (Upper), which coves Sunshine Coast Regional District Electoral Areas A and B and shíshálh Nation Government District 6, 6A, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 12A, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 19A, 20, 20A, 21, 21A, 22, 24, 25, 26 and 27. ### Tracey McClelland ![[election-reply#^candidate-no-reply]] ## Trustee Electoral Area 2 (Central) Three trustees will be elected from TEA 2 (Central), which covers District of Sechelt and shíshálh Nation Government District 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 28. ### Lawrence Chen (Weiping Chen) ![[election-reply#^partial]] > [!info]- Candidate statement (click to expand) > As a trustee candidate, I believe AI chatbots are a powerful tool, but they need clear boundaries in our classrooms. I would not ban AI chatbots entirely from schools, and I also would not let them be used without guidance. > If elected, I will work with teachers, parents and students to create practical rules for AI use. Students need to learn how to use AI responsibly — like how to check facts, avoid copying work and understand when to rely on their own thinking. AI can help explain difficult concepts and support learners with different needs. But it cannot replace critical thinking, writing practice and direct teaching. > Our goal should be to teach students to use AI wisely,  > I will not ban AI chatbots from classrooms. Instead, I support clear school guidelines. Students should learn to use AI responsibly as a learning tool, while still building their own critical thinking and academic skills. AI is here to stay; we need to teach our kids how to use it properly. ### Robin Hansen ![[election-reply#^candidate-no-reply]] ### Tina Joe ![[election-reply#^candidate-no-reply]] ### Donna Lynden ![[election-reply#^candidate-no-reply]] ### Jay D O'Keeffe ![[election-reply#^candidate-no-reply]] ### Brenda Rowe ![[election-reply#^candidate-no-reply]] - [Candidate Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/roweforsecheltcouncil) ## Trustee Electoral Area 3 (Lower) Three trustees will be elected from TEA 3 (Lower), which covers Town of Gibsons and Sunshine Coast Regional District Electoral Areas D, E and F. ### Amanda Amaral ![[election-reply#^candidate-no-reply]] - [Candidate Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587616230442) ### Mark D Bailey > [!success] Supports a pause on unlimited AI use in classrooms > We received the response below from candidate Mark Bailey. We would characterize his response as a support for pausing unrestricted use of AI in classrooms. > > We support teaching highschool students **about** AI, while avoiding the cognitive offloading that it causes. > > All of his comments show a real understanding of the risks associated with AI chatbots. - [Candidate website](https://markbailey.ca/) > [!info]- Candidate statement (click to expand) > I will be straight with you about where I am coming from. I run a business that uses AI tools every day, and they have become indispensable to how I work. I am not someone who is afraid of the technology. I am someone who knows what it does, and that is exactly why I do not want it doing children's thinking for them. > My position, clearly laid out: > > Chatbots do not belong in elementary classrooms. Kids need to struggle with a problem to learn from it, and a tool that removes the struggle removes the learning. > > In secondary school, the one legitimate use is teaching students about these tools, not with them. Our graduates are walking into a world where chatbots are already in their phones, their first jobs and their friendships. They need to understand that a chatbot predicts words, it does not actually 'know' things. Chatbots lie with total confidence. They are built to keep you talking. They are built to flatter you in to using them more frequently. That it remembers what you tell it, and that information is now owned by a corporation who wishes to monetize your thoughts. That is chatbot literacy, taught by a teacher, and it is as basic now as learning to spot a scam email. Handing students a chatbot to write their essays is the opposite of that. > > No AI product should be adopted across our district without a board policy debated in public session, a thorough privacy review, and evidence that it helps students learn rather than helps them avoid learning. The burden of proof belongs on the vendor, not on the teacher or district. > > I am one vote of seven, so I will not promise outcomes I cannot deliver alone. I can promise that is how I will vote if the issue is raised, and what I will argue for. ### Sue Girard (Susan Girard) ![[election-reply#^candidate-no-reply]] - [Candidate Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/suegirard46/) ### Tamara Hedden ![[election-reply#^candidate-no-reply]] - [Candidate Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/p/Tamara-Hedden-for-Sd46-School-Trustee-61592470897241/) ### Erin P Kellie ![[election-reply#^candidate-no-reply]] - [Candidate website](https://erinkellie.ca) ### Pammila Ruth ![[election-reply#^candidate-no-reply]] - [Candidate Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/Pammila4trustee) ### Ed Shapero (Edward Leon Shapero) ![[election-reply#^candidate-no-reply]]