WATCH: Alligator spotted on St. Johns County school grounds

Parents in St. Johns County posted several videos of an alligator at Valley Ridge Academy Sunday.

One video shows it walking through the grass inside the fence surrounding the kindergarten through eighth-grade school.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson said someone alerted the Nuisance Alligator Hotline Sunday morning and a trapper was dispatched, but the gator got away before the trapper got to the school.

“I would be scared of it if I was on school campus right now. I was hoping no one else was there,” fifth-grader Jake Romano said.

He was among several students and parents alarmed when they heard the gator was so close to the school – and where children play.

“If you got kids around, it could be something serious,” Carlos Arroyo said. “Worst-case scenario something bad could happen, and you never want that.”

Action News Jax contacted the district to find out if it has plans to keep the gator from getting on campus again.

In the meantime, parents say they’re warning their children to be careful at school.

“If there’s a body of water, my kids know you don’t go near it, because there’s always a potential of being a gator -- that’s Florida,” Michelle Shelton said.

FWC officials say if you are concerned about an alligator you come across, you should call the Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).

Click here to read more about the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program.

Cox Media Group