Southside Elementary School briefly went into “lockout” mode on Tuesday morning, after someone reported two teenagers with rifles a few blocks away from the school.

However, Southside was soon able to resume its regular schedule and in the afternoon, officers were able to identify the males and determine it had been a false alarm.

“... There was no threat,” Powell police said in a Facebook post, adding, “Two young men were returning to a residence after their vehicle broke down. The two were unable to secure their guns in the vehicle so they carried them home.”

Powell police said there were no indications that the young men — seen walking near the intersection of Bent and South streets — were threatening the school or students. Rather, the department said, Southside had been put into lockout mode as a precaution while officers searched for the armed individuals. Additionally, school resource officers “walked through the school’s interior and exterior to ensure the safety of the students and staff,” the department said.

The lockout lasted less than 20 minutes, said Jay Curtis, superintendent of Park County School District No. 1.

School buildings’ doors are always locked, and the main entrance is only unlocked after a person is cleared through an electronic sign-in system.

The only difference for students and staff during a lockout is that they can’t go outside, Curtis said.

“We continue instruction as normal,” he said. “If a class was scheduled to go outside or to have a recess, then those plans are changed for as long as you have a lockout.”

Curtis said the school district appreciates the communication from the police department and the collaboration with school resource officers.

While it became clear that there was no threat, the superintendent said police and the district acted “out of an abundance of caution.”

“Although there was no indication of any illegal activity or specific threats, the Powell Police Department and [Park County School District No. 1] take the safety of our schools and children very seriously,” police said in Tuesday’s post. “To err on the side of caution we continue to work together with the schools to implement these procedures when potential needs arise.”

“We are always putting the safety of our students and staff first as a community,” Curtis added.

— By CJ Baker and Tessa Baker