COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Class is canceled Thursday for Coeur d’Alene High School after their principal died from an apparent suicide Wednesday morning.
Troy Schueller, the principal of CHS, was found dead inside his home, according to CDA Public Schools. Emergency responders took him to Kootenai Health, but he passed away at 2 p.m.
School staff were notified during a meeting after classes Wednesday, school district officials said in a release.
Crisis counselors will be available Thursday to meet with students, staff and the public from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Anyone who wishes to attend should enter the school using the gym door on the southeast side.
“We extend our deepest condolences to Troy’s family,” Scott Maben, the director of communications wrote in a release. “Please keep them in your thoughts.”
Three administrators released statements on Schueller's death Wednesday evening.
Casey Morrisroe, Chairman, Board of Trustees: “Troy was a valuable member of our school family and a tremendous person. He had accomplished amazing things at Coeur d’Alene High School during the past two school years, and his smile and leadership will be missed. Beyond that, Troy was a great husband, father and friend. His death is tragic and will leave a hole in our hearts for a long time. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
Trina Caudle, Director of Secondary Education: “Our community is grieving the loss of our dear friend and colleague. Troy truly, deeply cared about everybody. As principal at Coeur d’Alene High, his top priority was to improve the culture of the school and make sure all students and staff knew they were cared for. We encourage our students to reach out and talk with their loved ones, or come to the school and visit with one of the crisis counselors who are here to help.”
Superintendent Stan Olson: “Words cannot express the sadness that I feel and that is shared by our school board, our staff and our community by this loss. This is a young man that was respected and appreciated by not only our students and staff but by anyone who knew him. Troy was a person who wanted to be a better professional and a better person. He was a person who lived life and had known the joys of life and the difficulties along the way, and anyone who knew him well greatly appreciated him. We will have a substantial representation of counselors at CHS to gather with staff and students. This is a horrific incident that we all need to help each other recover from, and this will not be over in an hour or day or week. It will take time and focus and effort. The district will do all we can. The Post Falls and Lakeland school districts and local community partners have been in touch offering their support, and this is a wonderful testament to Troy Schueller and to the relationship that he established in this community and this region.”
Editor’s note: KREM normally does not cover suicides however made an exception for this story as it greatly impacts the Coeur d’Alene community and school schedules.
