Custodian dies overnight at Lee school

LEE – No school for students in town today, as the body of custodian Timothy Shepardson was found by a member of the maintenance staff early this morning (March 29) at the middle and high school.

“We are all saddened at the loss of Mr. Shepardson, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends,” Lee Public Schools Superintendent Jason P. McCandless told The Beacon.

Mr. Shepardson, 58, was a Lee resident. He joined the LMHS staff as a substitute custodian in February 2012 and was hired as a full-time staff member in April of that year.

“Mr. Shepardson immediately became a valued and respected part of our school community,” Dr. McCandless said. “His hard work and work eithic were well matched by his kindness and affability. Our entire staff and student body thought a great deal of him and will miss him.”

As a result of this incident, both LMHS and Lee Elementary School are closed today, and after-school activities and practices have been canceled as well.

“Police and other emergency services will be in and out of the back of the middle and high school all morning,” Dr. McCandless said in a statement released to the press and district families. “For this reason, we canceled school today.”

The Lee Police Department is not treating this as a criminal matter, and officers at the school directed The Beacon to the superintendent as the point person on this matter.

For more on this story, read the April 4 edition of The Berkshire Beacon.

Posted by Catherine M. Krummey on March 29, 2013. Filed under Breaking News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry