One of the finalists to become Aurora Public Schools’ next superintendent said her expertise in academic instruction and plans for the district make her the standout candidate, while her experience managing the scrutiny that comes with leadership has prepared her for the role.
Nia Campbell is also standing by her handling of crowd disbursement efforts during an incident at the Florida high school where she served as principal in 2019, which had triggered a police investigation after allegations she battered students.
Campbell is the chief academic officer for Aurora Public Schools and has been with the district since 2022. She is one of three finalists to become the district’s next superintendent — all of whom held community engagements events this week and are slated to undergo school board interviews April 17. A final decision is expected in late April or early May, a district spokesman said.
Her passion for education stems partly from the exposure to diversity she experienced growing up, Campbell said. The daughter of Caribbean parents — her father is an immigrant — she and her brother were raised in New York City before she went on to play basketball in college.
Now married with three children, Campbell said creating opportunities for students is what led her to pursue the superintend role, also touting her ability to pair her love for the classroom with research-based best practices. Her instructional expertise “is what helps me stand out,” she said.
Ascending to the superintendent position is a natural progression in her mission to serve students, she said. Throughout her career, Campbell has worked as an adjunct professor, assistant superintendent, school principal, assistant principal and teacher.
“My entire career has been leading to this point,” Campbell said.
Responding to controversy
As a high school principal in 2019, Campbell became the center of controversy after multiple students brought allegations of battery against her.
In March 2019, a crowd rushed the court at Osceola High School in Kissimmee, Florida when the boy’s basketball team won a game. Video footage began circulating on social media soon after appearing to show Campbell forcefully pulling students out of the crowd, and one student alleged she pulled him by his hair. Students and concerned parents brought forward complaints, according to local media reports, saying Campbell’s response was inappropriate and a police investigation followed.
Campbell told police at the time that the crowd had ignored an announcement over the loud speaker telling people not to rush the court, according to police reports obtained by The Denver Gazette. Campbell said at the time her verbal commands to leave the court were unsuccessful and that she began "grabbing and pulling people away from the group since verbal commands were not working."
One video obtained by investigators clearly showed an administrator pulling the student’s hair, according to police reports, which the investigator described as an unreasonable use of force to remove him from the crowd. The student ultimately did not wish to prosecute Campbell, the report said, and no charges were recommended for her interactions with that student.
The officer also cleared Campbell of allegedly battering a second student who she reportedly pushed. The student did not feel battered or singled out by Campbell, according to the report.
The police investigation did recommend one misdemeanor charge of battery on allegations Campbell used unnecessary force by pushing a student who was not part of the crowd in the middle of the court and was not causing disruption. Records show the local state attorney’s office did not bring misdemeanor battery charges against Campbell.
The police reports say one student alleged Campbell told the student to "bite me" when they asked why she had pushed them. Another student also filed a police report alleging they were shoved three times but told police they did not wish to seek prosecution.
Leading up to the big game, students were instructed not to rush the court if the team won, Campbell told The Denver Gazette. Looking back, Campbell said her staff put in place an appropriate safety plan and had been careful not to overpack the gym.
“We had everything in place, but our directions weren’t followed, which happens,” she said.
Campbell said the hair pulling was merely an accusation and that she would be prepared to address any misinformation about the incident as she vies to become APS’ new superintendent. She has been part of multiple employment searches and said APS did its due diligence in considering her.
Asked if she denies pulling the student’s hair, Campbell said she had “thoroughly answered” the question, that she and her team operated in a way that ensured student safety and added: “I am not in the business of hurting children.”
“My track record is much more than one accusation,” she said.
The local school district did not take disciplinary action against her or place her on administrative leave, Campbell said. Her employment records reinforce her professionalism and character, she said.
The controversy gave her a closer relationship with school leaders “because these types of things, things happen, and you are having to maintain safety and you are having to just stand true.”
“That’s what comes along when you hold positions, there is a level of scrutiny, which I feel honestly better prepares me for the superintendency,” she said.
Top issues facing APS
When leaders move away from the classroom, they tend to lose familiarity with instructional practices, what really improves students’ outcomes, she said.
“I have intentionally ensured that, again, as I have moved up in a system, that I engage myself in professional learning” and stay abreast on best practices in classrooms, Campbell said. “I do think that this is a skill that I have, that many others as they move up the chain, don’t continue to keep.”
If chosen, Campbell said she considers district collaboration and providing students with multiple pathways out of school as two of her top priorities.
The school district needs greater collaboration among its departments, Campbell said, calling for a “more holistic, comprehensive approach.” As superintendent she would strive to ensure each division in the system understands how their work affects schools and school functions.
“I have identified that as a large need, because as a system we are functioning in silos to a large degree,” she said.
She would also prioritize providing career and technical education to students, urging a greater shift toward including CTE in the district.
Campbell promises to focus on international partnerships that are more than a fiscal benefit to APS but also expose students to postsecondary options. Denver International Airport is nearby, The Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center could offer hospitality and tourism experience, and the Anschutz medical campus is prime for health career training, she said as examples of potential career and technical education partnerships.
These pathways not only help students learn what careers they are interested in, but which careers they are not, she said.
Campbell has worked in organizations that were not receptive to the changes they needed to make, she said, but that’s not the case in APS. The district is “primed and ready,” she said.
While there might be debate about how to attain the district’s goals, Campbell said she is encouraged that staff generally agree on improvements APS needs to make.
“I am really transparent with respect to having discussions about where as a system we are falling short, and intentionally planning so that we can improve our system,” she said.
