Kennedy Elementary School in eastern Lawrence was evacuated for about two hours Monday morning after administrators feared there was a natural gas leak at the school.

District spokeswoman Julie Boyle said crews from the gas company and Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical responded to the scene and eventually found an issue with a mechanical system on the roof.

Boyle said students and staff were kept out of the building until the issue was resolved, which took approximately two hours. Boyle said students and staff stayed on school grounds during the evacuation, primarily in the blacktop and playground portions of the site.

On Tuesday morning, Boyle said the district had learned that the mechanical malfunction that caused the gas leak was the result of vandalism. She said district officials have filed a police report on the matter.