Assistant Principal Dies By Suicide On Campus At Placentia School

PLACENTIA, CA —Classes were canceled at Kraemer Middle School in Placentia on Monday after an assistant principal took his own life on campus earlier in the day, school officials said.

Moises Plascencia was found in a "private staff area, and fellow staff members and students were not present, nor was the occurrence witnessed by anyone," Kraemer Principal Michael Young said in a statement.

Young did not provide any additional information regarding Plascencia's death.

"Words will never be able to express our true sorrow regarding this loss," Young said. "While we may never make sense of nor understand why this occurred, please know how deeply Mr. Plascencia cared for your students, their education and all of Kraemer Middle School."

Young said classes at Kraemer will resume Tuesday, and a team of mental health professionals from the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District will be available for the week to help anyone impacted by Plascencia's death.

Jim Elsasser, superintendent of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, said Moises was more than just an assistant principal and his death has left the district "devastated, confused and heartbroken."

"I am struggling to find adequate words to convey the shock and heartbreak we are all feeling right now," Elsasser said. "Yet I know that we will find a way to come together as a community, care for one another and get through this trauma together."