Cumberland schools went into a lockout Wednesday morning after someone mistook a tire iron for an assault weapon.
A resident called 911 to report that someone may have had an assault weapon near the Congregational Church, not far from Greely Middle School, Greely High School and Mable I. Wilson School, according to MSAD 51 Superintendent Jeff Porter.
Police alerted school officials, who then ordered a lockout, Porter said in an alert sent to parents.
He noted that exterior doors to the schools remain locked while classes are in session. During a lockout, staff and students are moved indoors while barring entry and exit as an extra precaution.
Cumberland police determined that the assault weapon was, in fact, a tire iron and that the person was merely changing a tire.
The lockout was lifted within 20 minutes.
“Our safety protocols worked as expected and we were in communication with police throughout the time in question,” Porter wrote in the alert.
He urged parents and community members to “never hesitate” to call 911 or school administrators if they see something questionable or that causes them “to be uneasy.”
“Placing safety first must be a community-wide effort, and I thank the alert resident who took this responsibility seriously this morning,” Porter wrote.
MSAD 51 serves Cumberland and North Yarmouth.
