June 15, 2023 - During the June 13, 2023, Board of Education meeting, Dr. Erica Karius was approved as the assistant principal at North Tech High School. Karius has served as the associate principal of Hazelwood Central High School since 2021 and will begin her tenure with Special School District on July 1, 2023. 

“Over the last 13 years, I have had the distinct pleasure of serving our North County community through teaching and administration,” said Karius. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to come back home to Special School District. Watching our students grow and be a part of something bigger through Tech is one of the reasons I am so passionate about career and technology education CTE. I look forward to working with our teachers, administration, and staff, who have mastered their craft and are now helping our future. Thank you again for this wonderful opportunity.”

Karius has been an assistant principal since 2016, beginning at Mark Twain Student Support Center and then moving to Hazelwood Central. She also currently serves as a hybrid professor for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, teaching master’s-level courses in educational leadership and culture and diversity.

Before this, Karius served as a social-emotional behavior (SEB) data team leader and special education teacher for Special School District in the Ferguson-Florissant School District and as a special education teacher for One Hope United Therapeutic Day School.

Karius holds an educational administration doctorate from Maryville University, a master’s degree in education administration from Missouri Baptist University, a master’s degree in education from National Louis University, and a bachelor’s degree in special education from Illinois State University. She is a certified learning behavior specialist, serves as a positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) facilitator, is earning certification in trauma-informed training, and currently serves on the trauma-informed committee in Hazelwood School District.