A private school in Melbourne was thrown into lockdown after an alleged ‘threatening social media post’.
St Bede’s College in Mentone, 21km south-east of Melbourne’s Central Business District, was put into lockdown at 8.25am on Wednesday.
The lockdown followed a photo being posted to social media last night, which was captioned ‘I’m unloading mags on my teacher’, according to the Herald Sun.
‘I’m unloading mags on my teacher,’ a blurb over the disturbing image read.
The photo showed what appeared to be a 9mm Glock 18 pistol.
A ziplock bag positioned next to the firearm appeared to contain .22 calibre ammunition, which is not compatible with a Glock 18.
Parents flocked to Facebook on Wednesday morning to mention the incident, with one claiming the photo had spurred on the lockdown.
St Bede’s College in Mentone was put into lockdown at 8.25am on Wednesday after this image was allegedly posted to social media
St Bede’s College is regarded among Melbourne’s elite private schools
‘Sadly I believe a kid has posted a photo with a weapon. I hope I’ve heard wrong. However apparently kids are snap chat about this,’ one person wrote to Facebook.
‘Can confirm – male posted a photo of a gun and bullets, mentioning of wanting to harm a teacher,’ another replied.
A parent told Melbourne radio 3AW his son had hidden in the school’s toilets during the terrifying incident.
Parents were reportedly seen anxiously standing by to pick up their children along Dixon St just after 10am.
It is understood students were allowed to call their parents and asked to be picked-up following the lockdown.
A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed the Moorabbin Crime Investigation Unit was investigating a ‘threatening social media post’ reported about 11pm on Tuesday.
‘The post did not include threats against any particular school or person,’ the spokesperson said.
‘Investigations to determine who created the post are underway.
‘There is currently no threat to St Bede’s College in Mentone.
St Bede’s College in Mentone sent a message to students
A text message to parents on Wednesday morning confirmed the lockdown.
‘Message from St Bedes College: Mentone Campus is still in lockdown and no further updates. All students and staff are safe,’ the text read.
The school has released a statement confirming the lockdown has been lifted.
‘To our community, all our students and staff are safe. At 8.25am this morning, St Bede’s College Mentone commenced lockdown on the advice of Police as part of a Police Operation,’ the statement read.
‘At 9.40am the lockdown was lifted, and classes have resumed as normal.
‘Thank you to all our community for your cooperation and understanding.’
St Bede’s College is a catholic boys school, founded in 1938.
Annual fees to attend the college begin at $9,380 for Year 7 students, with the figure rising to $9,580 for Year 12 students.
The total fees include annual tuition, maintenance and development of the facilities, membership for the parents and friends association, and a laptop.
However the fees don’t include uniform, Year 7 to 10 English novels, Year 11 and 12 textbooks, stationery and optional college trips – including ski trips, European History Tours and Indigenous Immersion Tours).
There are 1,900 students across the Mentone and Bentleigh East campuses as of 2023.
