A private school in Melbourne has been locked down 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 posted on social media last night, captioned “I’m unleashing magazines on my teacher,” the Herald Sun.
“I am harassing my teacher,” read the caption above the disturbing image.
The photo showed what appeared to be a 9mm Glock 18 pistol.
A resealable bag next to the firearm was found to contain .22 caliber ammunition, which is not compatible with a Glock 18.
On Wednesday morning, many parents reported the incident on Facebook, with one claiming that the photo was the reason for the lockdown.
St Bede’s College in Mentone was placed into lockdown at 8.25am on Wednesday after this image was reportedly posted on social media
St Bede’s College is considered one of Melbourne’s top private schools
“Unfortunately I believe a child posted a picture with a gun. I hope I heard wrong. But apparently kids are snapchatting about this,” one person wrote on Facebook.
“Can confirm: a man posted a picture of a gun and bullets and indicated that he wanted to attack a teacher,” another replied.
A parent told Melbourne radio station 3AW that his son hid in the school toilets during the terrifying incident.
It was reported that parents were anxiously waiting to pick up their children along Dixon St around 10am.
Students were reportedly allowed to call their parents to request to be picked up after the lockdown.
A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed the Moorabbin Crime Investigation Unit is investigating a “threatening social media post” that was reported at around 11pm on Tuesday.
“The message did not contain threats against any specific school or individual,” the spokesperson said.
An investigation is currently underway to determine who created the message.
‘There is currently no threat to St Bede’s College in Mentone.
St Bede’s College in Mentone sent a message to students
The lockdown was confirmed in a text message to parents on Wednesday morning.
‘Message from St Bedes College: Mentone Campus remains in lockdown and no further updates. All students and staff are safe,’ the message read.
The school released a statement confirming that 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 policing operation,” the statement said.
‘At 9:40 am the lockdown was lifted and classes resumed as normal.
“Thank you to the entire community for your cooperation and understanding.”
St Bede’s College is a Catholic boys’ school, founded in 1938.
Annual tuition costs start at $9,380 for 7th grade students and rise to $9,580 for 12th grade students.
The total costs include the annual tuition fee, maintenance and development of the facilities, membership of the parents and friends association and a laptop.
However, the cost excludes school uniform, English novels for grades 7 to 10, school books for grades 11 and 12, stationery and optional school trips (including ski trips, European history trips and indigenous immersion trips).
In 2023, there were 1,900 students on the Mentone and Bentleigh East campuses.
