93.3 KWTO Keeping Watch Over the Ozarks
The Christian County Sheriff’s Office has released some details of today’s incident at Nixa Junior High school, indicating they are investigating the incident as suicide.
CCSO officials are reporting that they were called for assistance around 9:35 Tuesday morning to assist with a “medical emergency” at Nixa Junior High School. A school resource deputy was on campus at the time of the incident and began to render aid to a Nixa Junior High student until EMTs arrived on scene.
The student was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“Preliminary indications from the investigation indicate the incident to be a suicide and at no time were any other students or school personnel in any danger,” the CCSO said in a statement.
An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow.
Christian County detectives, school resource deputies and the Christian County Coroner are continuing to investigate the incident.
Nixa school officials have provided counselors to students who need to talk to someone, and sent the following letter to parents regarding the incident.
December 15, 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians:
The faculty and staff of Nixa Junior High regret to inform you that today, a tragic event occurred on our campus resulting in the death of…one of our 8th graders. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family.
Today in class, the teachers, crisis response team, and counselors talked with the students about the situation and their feelings. Please be sensitive to any changes in your child’s behavior. Over the next few days, encourage your child to express his or her feelings and listen attentively.
It will be helpful to recognize the various steps we all go through in the grieving process: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Some of the common reactions that children experience when reacting to a traumatic event are the following:
- Restlessness, nervous behavior
- Trouble concentrating
- Difficulty sleeping, nightmares
- “Clingy” behavior, fear of being alone
- Asking questions over and over again
- Remembering previous losses and events
If you have any concerns about your child’s reactions to this loss, feel free to contact your child’s teacher, the school counselors, or the administrative staff.
If you have a Nixa Junior High student who needs to speak to a counselor, call 417-724-6440.