GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Hall County school officials say a bear sighting has prompted lockdowns at three schools in northwest Georgia.

Principal of Sardis Enrichment School Neil Yarrington told the Gainesville Times that a parent reported seeing a bear while she was dropping her child off Tuesday morning. Yarrington says the parent told officials that the bear ran into nearby woods.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is monitoring the situation and school safety coordinator, Lt. Earl Roach, says he thinks the bear is a younger one that may have gotten separated from its mother.

Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Melissa Cummings says north Georgia is home to a large black bear population, and bear sightings aren't unusual in the area.

Cummings says the bear hasn't been seen since Tuesday morning.

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