AUBURN – The Middle School on Monday was briefly locked down after a reported robbery at a nearby home.

Only, there was no robbery at all, according to police. What officers had been sent to investigate, as it turns out, was an attempted break-in at a home on Park Avenue.

“The two males were scared off by the homeowner and did not gain access to the home,” said Auburn deputy Chief Jason Moen. “The males ran off into the woods. An extensive search did not locate the subjects.”

The Middle School, Moen said, was locked down as a precautionary measure.

According to Auburn School Superintendant Katy Grondin, a full lockdown was ordered when the information was first coming in. After about a minute, as the situation was clarified, it was reduced to a soft lockdown, during which students were able to continue working in their classrooms.

The lockdown lasted about 15 minutes before it was determined that there was no threat to the school.

“Student safety,” said Grondin, “was of the highest priority.”

Grondin said she and other administrators later met with school officials to debrief and discuss how the matter was handled. School officials also spoke with parents who called in with questions about the situation.

In the hours and days following the incident, rumors about the lockdown persisted. Some Auburn residents had been told that it was due to a nearby armed home invasion. Others had heard there had been a bank robbery. Instead, the matter remained under investigation later in the week as an attempted burglary.