Sarb Rai will be running as part of the Contract with Langley Township slate for school trustee along with Holly Dickinson and Joel Neufeld in the upcoming Oct. 15 election.
The civic party made the announcement Wednesday, Aug. 31.
Rai’s campaign biography said she has been a federal public servant for 22 years, and has three school-aged children who all attend school in Langley. She graduated from Douglas College with a diploma in criminology.
“Her experience working within the federal government has given her a sound knowledge of the legal system and provided her with the skills to mitigate high stress situations and facilitate conflict resolution,” the announcement said.
“These are tools that she will bring to her role as a school trustee.”
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Rai has lived in the Township of Langley for 18 years. Her three children have spent the entirety of their school careers in Langley’s public school system.
Her son was diagnosed with autism at the age of five, while he was in kindergarten. His diagnosis resulted in Rai building close relationships with his teachers and education assistants throughout the years. However, as an involved parent, she has also experienced some challenges when dealing with school administrative teams, which was a big part of her decision to put her name forward for school trustee.
“As a parent of a child with special needs, I want to have confidence that when my son graduates he will have the skills needed to continue his education or achieve sustainable employment,” Rai said.
She added, “Educators are doing the best they can with resources available to them. However, at times it feels like kids with special needs are being pushed through the system so long as they check the boxes on their ILP [Individual Education Plan]. I want to make it better for them and their parents.”
Rai was described as “passionate” about finding solutions to the bullying challenges in schools.
“I believe that kids need to be thoroughly educated on the impact that bullying can have on a person’s mental health. We need to encourage leadership and help our youth to understand the severe impact these acts can have on their peers,” she said.
The Contract with Langley Plan for Schools will be released in late September.
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