POCATELLO — Students and staff at Hawthorne Middle School, Wilcox Elementary and New Horizon High School were placed on lockdown Friday at about 2 p.m. at the request of Pocatello Police Department officials due to the possibility of gunshots being fired in the vicinity.

    It turns out the explosive sound came from a car that backfired near Hawthorne Middle School, according to School District 25 Community Relations Director Shelley Allen. The other two schools were placed on lockdown because of their close proximity to Hawthorne.

    “Once the source was pinpointed, the elementary students were released,” Allen said. “School ends at 2:15 p.m. at Wilcox. So, we notified the parents of those who walk home from school to come pick their children up. The rest of the students rode the bus home as usual.”

    Hawthorne Middle School and New Horizon High School students were released on time as the lockdown had been lifted before their regular release time.

     However, buses transporting children from Lewis & Clark and Syringa elementaries were delayed because of the lockdown.

    “We appreciate the parents’ patience and understanding while students at Wilcox were being held at school, which delayed the delivery of students from other schools,” Allen said. “Student safety is the highest priority of our district and of local law enforcement.”

    When these type of situations occur, Allen indicated that staff and law enforcement act quickly to ensure student safety.

    Once students are secured, parents are notified by way of a mass notification system.

    Any parent who is not sure if their name is on the list to receive such notifications is urged to contact their child’s school.

    When a school is placed on “Code Blue” lockdown, no one is allowed to enter into the building, and the doors are locked. In the case of a controlled access lockdown, officials are stationed at entry ways to greet visitors of any kind. The visitor must provide a photo identification and a reason as to why they need inside the facility.

    As a precautionary measure, PPD officers continued to monitor the neighborhood near Hawthorne Middle School following the false alarm.