Extra support will be on offer for students and staff at a small public school in Walgett in northern NSW after former principal Nathaniel Train died in a confrontation with police in Queensland.
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Nathaniel Train, 46, was confirmed among six deceased after a shootout with police on a remote property in Wieambilla, 300 kilometres west of Brisbane, late Monday night.
The confrontation occurred after two police officers were killed in what was described as an "execution style" attack while visiting a property owned by Mr Train's brother in a missing person's investigation.
Among the six dead were two police officers, Mr Train, his brother Gareth, his sister-in-law and a neighbour.
Mr Train was last seen in Dubbo in NSW's Central West December 2021 but had kept in contact with members of his family until October this year. When they were unable to reach him, he was reported missing to NSW Police.
Before his disappearance Mr Train was employed as a principal at the Walgett Community College Primary School. He left in August after suffering a major heart attack at the school.
People close to Mr Train said his mental health had deteriorated since leaving the school, the Nine network reported on Tuesday.
It was also reported Mr Train's wife still works at the school, but did not know where he had gone.
A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education confirmed Mr Train was among the deceased and said he had not been working at a NSW school since August 2021, officially leaving department employment in March this year.
"Our sincere condolences go to the Queensland Police and the families and friends of those impacted by the tragic incident in rural Queensland overnight," the spokesperson said.
"Extra counselling will be provided at the impacted school today and for as long as staff and students require support."
The news about the former principal is the latest blow for the Walgett Community College community which has a long history of struggles and a notoriously-high turnover rate of principals and teaching staff.
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In February last year, only seven out of 22 teaching positions at the Walgett Community College were filled at the school with 11 roles open for recruitment and at least one teacher on leave due to a violent incident.
Mr Train himself wrote 16 emails to the Department of Education secretary Georgina Harrisson in March this year outlining problems at the school he witnessed during his tenure and calling for extra assistance.
He was also in contact with local MPs, the Education Ombudsman and One Nation's Mark Latham, chair of the NSW Upper House's education committee, about the matter.
Earlier this year, parents and former students of Walgett Community College High School protested outside the school calling for an independent investigation into concerns about student violence, poor educational outcomes and the constant turnover of principals and staff.
Since 2020, almost 50 cases of violence were recorded on the school's incident log, ranging from brawls amongst students to threats involving weapons and assaults on teachers.
