A former superintendent of the RTR, Lynd and Hendricks school districts has died at his home in Alaska, according to media reports this week.

KHNS, a public radio station in the Alaska panhandle, reported Wednesday that Bruce Houck died unexpectedly at his home in Angoon, Alaska, on Nov. 30. He was 61. Houck was superintendent at the Chatham School District, which covers four village schools in southeast Alaska, KHNS reported.

According to KHNS, a spokesperson for the Alaska State Troopers said that no foul play was suspected, and Houck had died in his sleep of natural causes.

In past years, Houck had served as superintendent of RTR, Lynd Public School and Hendricks Public School.Together, the three schools districts formed the Southwest Educational Cooperative (SWEC) to formalize existing partnerships among their districts.

Houck’s time as superintendent of the RTR district ended in controversy after the RTR school board voted to leave SWEC in April 2016. That same month, Houck was suspended as RTR superintendent, after an incident where a school administrator was walked out of the RTR High School building by police.

The individual walked out of the high school was not identified at the time, but the Tyler police chief confirmed that police were asked to assist in escorting a person from the property.

In June 2016, SWEC said in a press release that the cooperative had received a complaint containing allegations against Houck, and a “full and thorough” investigation of the matter was conducted. SWEC said it was not taking disciplinary action, but over the next few months more information was not forthcoming on what the allegations against Houck were.

The decision to place Houck on administrative leave and hire an interim superintendent at RTR sparked months of questions and controversy, with some members of the public asking the school board why Houck was not being reinstated as superintendent.

In 2018, Lynd Public School gave notice that it intended to withdraw from SWEC. SWEC board members opted not to offer any new contracts for the joint powers entity, and Houck’s contract was set to end June 30, 2019.