School Principal Kills Himself Amid Investigation 'Related To His Conduct'

A charter school principal reportedly committed suicide Thursday, just a day after he was put on administrative leave.

According to a report in the Register-Guard, a daily newspaper published in Eugene, Oregon, principal Michael Fisher was found by his wife Thursday evening in the garage of their home in the 600 block of South 68th Street. Springfield police Lt. Scott McKee also confirmed the news and ruled out foul play.

Fisher was the principal of the Academy of Arts and Academics in downtown Springfield, Oregon, more commonly known as A3, since 2005 and was placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation “related to his conduct," said Jen McCulley, Springfield School District spokeswoman.

The school was also placed on a modified lockdown Wednesday for almost an hour as police officers as well as staff members “worked through the investigation,” according to McCulley.

Though McCulley declined to comment on the nature of the investigation or the reasons behind it, she said that the ongoing inquiry was criminal in nature.

After Fisher's death, school officials sent the following email to parents as well as the students of the school.

“It is with heavy hearts that we need to share with you some sad and unexpected news. We are extremely sad to share that we have learned that our school director, Mike Fisher, died earlier today as a result of suicide. We have few details at this time. It is times like these where we rely on and support one another, especially in a tight-knit community like this one. Grief presents itself in a variety of ways, so know there is not one right way to process this information. If you find yourself in need of support, please reach out to an A3 staff member who can direct you toward ¬appropriate resources. You can also reach out to any of the Crisis Response Team members, counselors, support staff, and Mobile Mental Health Resource Clinic staff who will be present at A3 tomorrow (Friday) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will be available to provide support and resources for students and parents. Counselors also will be available for students when school resumes on Monday.”

According to his biodata, Fisher had been an employee in the Springfield district since 1990 and had worked at Thurston High School from 1990 till 2005, when he joined the Academy of Arts and Academics.

The school located at 615 Main St. has about 340 students enrolled in it.

In a similar incident, a Colbert County High School teacher, Kenneth Clint Nunley, killed himself in December 2017. His suicide came just 15 days after the school located in Leighton, Alabama, put him on an administrative leave pending the results of a personnel investigation, an NBC-affiliated television station, WAFF-TV reported.

At the time, Superintendent Gale Satchel had said in a news release, “We ask for your prayers for our students, faculty, staff and Mr. Nunley's family during this time of bereavement."