Oakhurst, California — Several schools in the mountain community of Oakhurst were briefly placed on lockdown Friday morning after a black bear was spotted wandering across a school campus, prompting authorities to take precautions before students entered classrooms.
The Madera County Sheriff’s Office said multiple schools, including Yosemite High School, Oak Creek Intermediate and Oakhurst Elementary, were placed under lockdown after the animal was seen on school grounds.
The bear was first spotted near the tennis courts at Yosemite High School, where it moved around the campus before climbing into a tree.
Bear Spotted Before School Started
The incident unfolded early Friday morning, before the school day was fully underway. According to a spokesperson for Yosemite Unified School District, the black bear was initially seen near the tennis courts at Yosemite High School.
The animal then climbed up and down a tree before eventually wandering away from the immediate area. Because students and staff were arriving for the school day, authorities moved quickly to limit movement around the campuses.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was contacted, while deputies in the area worked to make sure students and school employees remained safe.
Photos from the scene showed the bear standing on its hind legs on campus and later sitting in a tree it had climbed.
Video also captured the animal walking across the school grounds, giving a clear look at just how close the wildlife encounter came to unfolding during the school morning.
Students Were Held on Buses
Parents were notified about the situation before school started. As a precaution, students were kept on buses while the lockdown remained in place, preventing them from entering the affected school buildings and moving around campus while the bear was nearby.
The lockdown was eventually lifted after officials determined that the immediate danger had passed.
Wildlife officials later told KSEE 24 that they believed the bear had left the area. There were no reports that the animal injured or directly confronted any students, teachers or other staff members.
Bear Encounters Are Familiar in Oakhurst
Although seeing a black bear on school property was unusual, encounters with bears are not particularly surprising for residents of the Oakhurst area.
The community is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills, relatively close to Yosemite National Park, where black bears are a familiar part of the surrounding environment.
A spokesperson for the Yosemite Unified School District said the incident was the first time she was aware of a bear appearing on campus.
Still, she noted that seeing bears in the wider community is not unusual.
“It’s not something that’s unusual where we live, we see bears in our neighborhood,” the spokesperson said. “Usually not an issue on campus, though, when students are present.”
That distinction became particularly important Friday because the bear appeared on school property at a time when students were arriving.
No One Was Injured
Despite the unusual encounter, the situation ended without reported injuries. The brief lockdown allowed deputies and wildlife officials to monitor the situation while keeping students and staff away from the animal.
The bear eventually moved away from the campus area, according to wildlife officials, allowing normal school activities to resume.
Would you be surprised to see a black bear walking across your child’s school campus? Share your reaction in the comments and tell us how your community handles wildlife encounters.
