Lee’s Summit elected their first African-American school board member Tuesday. Megan Marshall, one of nine candidates competing for three seats on the Lee’s Summit R-7 school district board, was the top vote recipient.  

Marshall, who served 20 years as a Marine, said the support she received from students and teachers when she was deployed in 2018 inspired her to run. “I was looking for other capacities to serve,” Marshall said. “This opportunity came up to give back to the community and help restore the image of Lee’s Summit.”

Last year, Lee’s Summit’s first Black superintendent resigned around tensions with the school board on whether or not to have diversity and equity training for teachers. The school district is majority White and students of color make up about one quarter of the district’s enrollment.

Marshall said diverse representation does matter on the school board, but she believes it was her hard work that paid off. Marshall is dedicated to restoring transparency and accountability back to the school district.