Nixa Public Schools reassures community that schools weren't on lockdown Wednesday morning

Nixa High School and Mathews Elementary School were placed in secure mode on Wednesday morning following a home invasion near the schools.

When placed in secure mode, normal activity remains inside but exterior doors are securely locked, the district said. This is different than a lockdown, which is when students, faculty and staff are instructed to remain in place and all doors, including interior ones, are locked. The schools were taken out of secure mode around 9 a.m., Nixa Public Schools Chief Communications Officer and Safety Director Zac Rantz told the News-Leader.

The Nixa schools were placed in secure mode after Nixa police took three suspects into custody following a home invasion at 651 S. Bridgewood Court, which is less than half a mile from both the high school and elementary school.

Nixa police were dispatched to the address at 7:47 a.m. after a woman hiding in the home called to report that two men and one woman had forced entry into the house and assaulted a man in the home, according to a City of Nixa news release.

Nixa officers and the Nixa Emergency Tactical Team entered the home and detained the female suspect. The two men fled on foot. One was taken into custody with the help of Christian County deputies and the other was located using the Nixa police drone.

Police are continuing to investigate the relationship between the suspects and victims, as well as the motivation for the home invasion, according to the City of Nixa news release. The police do not have any reason to believe that there is an ongoing threat to the public.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Nixa district reassures public that schools were not on lockdown