There was a lockout situation Monday morning at two buildings in Warren County School District’s central attendance campus.

The outside doors at Warren Area High School and Warren County Career Center were locked, no visitors were admitted, and students were brought inside the buildings.

At 12:30 p.m., the district announced that the lockout had ended.

District officials did not provide additional information about the incident.

“This was a proactive, precautionary protocol that we use periodically when we have circumstances on-site that are not routine and predictable,” Superintendent Amy Stewart said.

Lockout is the portion of the district’s standard response protocol (SRP) intended to deal with threats outside a building.

There are a number of situations that could result in a lockout. In the past there have been lockouts in Warren County Schools in response to a search for a person suspected of criminal activity and a potentially dangerous animal near a school.

In a lockout, students who are outside are rounded up and brought in. The doors are then locked and no visitors are admitted. The business of the school is usually conducted as usual.

The district regularly practices its SRP.

In the case of a threat inside the building, the school would go into lockdown. In that scenario, interior doors are locked, lights are turned off, and students and teachers remain out of sight. Students are encouraged to leave the building if they can do so safely. They are encouraged to barricade doors when appropriate and to defend themselves.

Evacuations and sheltering-in-place are other parts of the SRP that are intended to deal with other kinds of situations.