The health and safety of teachers, students, staff, and faculty has been at the forefront over whether schools should reopen in-person due to the pandemic. Candidates running for Webb City School Board have highlighted, including Grant Collings, a social worker at Ozark Center, an entity of Freeman hospital. According to Grant, safety guidelines, whether from the CDC or state officials, should keep in mind the community that schools serve. “The recommendations that I would make would be for the safety, not only the students but also for the community. Because the students go home, and they visit with their parents. We don’t want the school district or the school system, the cause of an outbreak.”

Jason Woodmansee, Lisa Hartman Robinson, and Dr. Gretchen Shull are also running. Many city, county, and school board elections, including those taking place in Joplin and Webb City, take place on Tuesday, April 6.