Bloglander

Troy Schueller, the principal at Coeur d'Alene High School, died today in an apparent suicide, according to the School District.

"We are deeply saddened to inform you of a tragic event involving a member of the Coeur d'Alene Public Schools family," the district says in a news release this afternoon. "Earlier today, Coeur d'Alene High School Principal Troy Schueller was found at his residence with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound."

He was transported to Kootenai Health where he passed away at about 2 pm, the district says.

This was Schueller's second year as principal at Coeur d'Alene High School, where he previously served for eight years as assistant principal. He is married and has two children, according to his bio on the district website.

Staff, families and current students have been notified of Schueller's apparent suicide. The district canceled school Thursday in light of the news, though crisis counselors will be available at the school from 7:30 am until 2:30 pm.

"Anyone who needs to speak with someone about this tragedy is urged to seek out a member of the crisis team," the news release says.

The district has also activated its crisis assistance team, which will be at the high school this evening and tomorrow.

"Words cannot express the sadness that I feel and that is shared by our school board, our staff and our community by this loss," says superintendent Stan Olson in a statement.

He says Schueller was respected and appreciated by anyone who knew him.

"Troy was a person who wanted to be a better professional and a better person," Olson says. "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."

He added that nearby school districts like Post Falls and Lakeland, along with other community partners, have offered support.

"This is a horrific incident that we all need to help each other recover from," Olson says. "This will not be over in an hour or day or week."