A bear sighting this morning started the school day with a bit of excitement in the Sardis area of northwestern Hall County.

A parent saw the bear when she was dropping her child off at Sardis Enrichment School, Principal Neil Yarrington said. Yarrington then saw the bear running into the wooded area between Sardis and the Chestatee Academy of Inquiry Development campus.

The school contacted the Department of Natural Resources, which is monitoring the situation. Officials with Sardis, Chestatee Academy and Chestatee High School, which are located closely together, are all aware of the situation and limiting outdoor activity.

School Safety Coordinator Lt. Earl Roach said he thinks it was a younger bear that got separated from its mother.

He said there will be continued patrols through the area, but he does not believe the bear poses a threat.

Yarrington said bears have been spotted in the Sardis area in the last couple of weeks, but it’s the first bear sighting he said he’s dealt with in his 29 years in Hall.