For the Gowanda Central School district on Tuesday, Nov. 1 a false alarm led to fear and plenty of anxiety. Due to a malfunction around 9 a.m. that day, an estimated 30 police officers arrived and were armed as the district went into lockdown and later transitioned to a shelter in place order before everything was all clear.

Those happenings occurred over a two-hour time period. Besides the worry within the schools, parents and community members also expressed fear. Some of it discussed on social media made the incident sound much worse than it really was.

“(Officers) didn’t know what to expect, so they were armed and ready to encounter whatever they may encounter,” said Superintendent Dr. Robert Anderson. “I think that was unsettling for some, and rightfully so.”

During a school board meeting earlier this month, Anderson talked about the trauma many experienced during the incident describing it as “unsettling and unnerving for everybody, and really disturbing for many.” School counselors were made available to help students and staff deal with the traumatic events.

While everything here turned out safe, there are a number of lessons to take from it. Most importantly, during the lockdown, schools must deal with the issue at hand — whatever it is. Because social media has brought an immediacy to every event, with that comes errors in what is being shared by community members due to hearsay or not having all the facts.

Once the district is able, it will then put out a clear concise message on what happened. Gowanda did this quite well later this afternoon. But before it had a clear understanding, its priority was not communicating — it was keeping students and staff members safe.

Gowanda’s lead on this day of uncertainty is an example for other area districts.