Bear and three cubs visit South Tahoe High

A mother bear and her three cubs visited the campus of South Tahoe High on Monday, causing some excitement. Students said they saw the momma bear sit down while her cubs were playing around.

Nobody was ever in danger and the bears left several minutes after arriving.

The school contacted El Dorado County Animal Control for guidance in handling the situation. The School Resource Officer Andy Eissinger was on campus so they told Animal Control they didn't need to respond as there was no danger.

The students playing tennis near the bears stayed on the courts which are surrounded by a tall fence.

STHS Principal Chad Houck said they were about to officially lock down the campus when the bears began moving off on their own. They did announce over the PA system that there were bears on campus and all students needed to stay indoors.

There was a team of adults that encouraged the bears to keep moving with loud noises. At no time were any students in danger and the whole incident lasted less than 10 minutes.

Some parents questioned the move to not put in a "shelter in place." According to Houck, they were planning on that being the next step when the bears decided to leave on their own. The costs and benefits of locking down the campus were discussed and they decided that that could cause more anxiety than was necessary when the bears were not really much of a threat.