Norfolk School Board member Lauren Campsen will step down after five years because of health reasons, effective Sept. 29.
Board chair Adale Martin said during Wednesday’s meeting that the board received a letter of resignation from Campsen, who represents Ward 5, just after the board’s closed session.
Campsen was first elected in 2018 and again in 2022.
Campsen was a longtime principal at Ocean View Elementary School and served as the division’s interim chief academic officer before retiring in 2013. When she first ran for the board, Campsen said it was to ensure equitable distribution of resources and supporting reading specialists and other educators. She started as principal at Ocean View Elementary in 1999 and the school had not been accredited. Within nine years, the school earned the National Blue Ribbon Award.
Martin said Campsen’s passion for education could not be “emphasized enough.”
Martin said during the meeting that the “proper protocol” will be followed to find Campsen’s successor, which will be announced later. She and Campsen did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This is a developing story.
Kelsey Kendall, kelsey.kendall@virginiamedia.com
