Two girls from Waterhen Lake First Nation were arrested and charged Friday (Jan. 31) after allegedly bringing a weapon to school.

According to an RCMP spokesperson, Meadow Lake RCMP responded to a report that day of an individual or individuals “uttering threats with a firearm” at the Waweyekisik Education Centre on Waterhen Lake First Nation. Upon arrival, police arrested two female youths who remained in custody at the Meadow Lake RCMP detachment until their first scheduled court appearance Monday morning (Feb. 3).

One youth was remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear again Tuesday morning, while the other was released with a court date of March 2. The youths were taken into custody at the school around 11:45 a.m. Friday, resulting in a lockdown at the facility.

“Due to the incident at the school this morning with lockdown, we are dismissing students early,” noted a post on the school’s Facebook page Friday afternoon. “Please be assured students were kept safe and staff did a wonderful job calming student anxieties. We are all safe and good”

An additional post stated the school would have counsellors available at the school Monday for students who were affected by the incident.

“Parents are welcome to contact any of our counsellors as well,” the post reads. “The safety and well-being of students are our main priority. We thank you for your understanding and patience, and allow investigators to do their jobs. If you have any information regarding today’s incident, please talk to one of the administrators.”

While the investigation is ongoing, the RCMP did confirm no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.

As per the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the youths cannot be identified.