Waterville area schools were in lockout mode for about an hour early Thursday afternoon after a threat was reportedly made against schools.
The lockout, which began shortly before noon, ended around 1 p.m. Schools in Winslow and Fairfield were also affected.
School Administrative District 49 Superintendent Dean Baker said the Fairfield district’s school resource officer notified administration of “statements that had been made that caused concern about what appeared to be some sort of dramatic action.”
A dispatcher at the Waterville Police Department said that the lockout was “a precautionary measure for an issue we’re dealing with for everyone’s safety.”
Fairfield and Winslow schools were also involved, according to reports.
Baker said the Fairfield district went into lockout mode for “several minutes” between 12 and 1 p.m. He said he did not know what the threatening statements entailed.
“I don’t know, I was just told that there were statements that caused concern,” Baker said. “If we’re told by law enforcement that there are concerns about possibly dramatic actions we put safety first and do what we can to make sure students are as safe as we can make them until we know what’s really going on.”
Around 1 p.m. Baker said the lockouts were over and “everything is back to normal.”
No other information was immediately available.
This story will be updated.