Update: School Lockdown Ends After No Mountain Lion Found

Updated: 4:50 p.m. Monday.

Oak Valley Middle School and Stone Ranch Elementary School were locked down Monday after a report of a mountain lion nearby, though none was found in a search.

Around 12:20 p.m., a call came in about a mountain lion "running across the lawn" in front of the Boys & Girls Club in 4S Ranch and into the canyon that borders the two schools, according to a statement from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

The schools went into a "working lockdown" which prevented children from leaving classrooms without an escort as a precautionary measure, according to the statement.

Officials created a perimeter around the jogging trails into the canyon, and performed both air and ground searches without finding a mountain lion. The Calfornia Department of Fish and Game also was called in to track the lion, but did not find any signs of one, according to the statement.

The search was called off at 1:25 p.m. and the schools were told they could end the lockdown.

Monday's incident was the latest in a series of reported mountain lion sightings near Poway Unified School District campuses. , there were reports of of a mountain lion near Chaparral and Painted Rock elementary schools that prompted officials to then also keep students indoors. No mountain lion was found in connection with either of the October sightings, though officials said at the time it would not be uncommon for those animals to be in that area of the county.

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