Students at three Adelaide schools have been forced to hide in cupboards and on the floor as they were plunged into lockdown.
Gleeson College, Golden Grove High School, and Pedare Christian College in the city's north-east were forced to abandon their lessons just after midday today when police asked Golden Grove High School to enter lockdown as a precaution.
Police were searching for a "suspicious man", so the other schools also locked themselves down due to their close proximity to the presumed danger zone.
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Photos and videos sent to 9News show students being forced to hide in cupboards in some cases, with alarms going off and police walking through Golden Grove High School.
Some parents like Adreena Axisa said their children sent them messages, unsure and afraid of what might happen.
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"He said, 'Hey mum, I love you so much, we are in lockdown and I am hiding in a closet, I have no idea what's going on'," she said.
"[It] absolutely scared the hell out of me.
Kate Nash received a similar message from her daughter.
"I just got a message from my daughter saying, 'We are in lockdown mum. Don't know what's going on, there's cops everywhere'," she said.
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After dozens of officers combed the area, the true cause of the panic was revealed.
9News understands the "suspicious man" was actually a staff member innocently carrying a toy gun.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing on the part of the staff member.
Police conducted a final search of the area, before allowing the schools to reopen and classes to resume as normal in the afternoon.
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