Mountain lion sighting prompts lockdown at EV Cain Middle School

Editor's note: This story was updated at 1:41 p.m. on Sept. 24 to add that Auburn Police Lt. Tucker Huey responded to the Journal to state that the person who called in the sighting saw the animal run underneath one of the portable classroom buildings on the EV Cain campus. Police conducted a search of the area but did not find anything and could not confirm whether the animal was, in fact, a mountain lion. Huey also said an official from Fish and Wildlife was contacted as well. A reported Mountain Lion sighting early Wednesday morning at Auburn's EV Cain School led to an approximate two-hour shelter-in-place on the Palm Avenue campus while local law enforcement officials searched the area for signs of the animal. Auburn Unified School District superintendent Brittaney Meyer told the Auburn Journal that an employee with the before-school care program saw what they thought was a mountain lion and called the Auburn Police Department to report it. That set in motion the school protocol for dealing with a threat on campus, which was to shelter-in-place until officials deemed it safe, Meyer said. At about 7:45, 15 minutes before classes start, the district used an all-school messaging system to notify families about the lockdown. Those who were still at home were advised to remain there until hearing from the district again. Staff and students who were already on campus were ordered to remain indoors. Parents who were arriving to drop their children off at the school were told they could either remain in their vehicles or go home to await the all clear. "Animals happen in Auburn," Meyer said. "We worked with law enforcement to make sure everyone was kept safe -- kids were not allowed outside, there was no recess." Sometime between 9:30 and 9:45 a.m., Meyer said, police "felt pretty certain" the animal had left and the school opened back up. Lt. Tucker Huey from the Auburn Police Department confirmed that officers responded to the campus and searched the area but did not find anything. They also contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to make them aware of the sighting.