DAYTON — For the second time in less than a week, the Southeast Valley School District secured a school’s perimeters and locked out a potential threat.

At about 1:40 p.m. Monday, multiple Dayton Elementary School staff members heard what they believed to be a gunshot outside the building. According to Superintendent Brian Johnson, staff acted immediately with one staff member calling 911 while another staff member called him.

“We take all of this very seriously,” said Johnson. “Unfortunately, this is the world we live in now and we can’t take any chances.”

Southeast Valley Schools notified parents by email and text message at 1:45 p.m. stating that the Dayton Elementary School was on lockout, meaning no one could enter or exit the building until a potential concern or threat had been resolved.

Law enforcement interviewed several Dayton residents who also believed they heard a gunshot, though they say it was actually a tree that snapped and fell.

Law enforcement deemed the situation to be resolved and parents were notified at 2:18 p.m. that the lockout had been lifted and that students were fine.

“I praised the staff,” said Johnson. “They did exactly what we have trained them to do.”

Last Thursday, the district locked down the Southeast Valley High School and Middle School for approximately three hours following a social media threat to the school.

The threat was later deemed not credible, according to Gowrie Police Chief Molly Anderson. The investigation into Thursday’s incident is ongoing and the Webster County Attorney’s Office has been contacted about the possibility of filing charges.