CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A Cleveland Heights High School principal was placed on paid administrative leave after a safety project had some students and teachers panicked and running scared for their lives.

Several students said there was screaming and running in the halls last Wednesday morning when administrative principal Johnetta Wiley announced on the public address system that there was a shooter in the building. There was no shooter. It was part of a safety video that Wiley and other staff were filming, but not all teachers and students were told the scenario wasn't real.

Freshman Cedrick Payton said he left school and ran home, fearing for his life.

"Everybody was running through the halls screaming," Payton said.

Freshman Shawn Reid said he was terrified, and he didn't know what was happening.

"They didn't give us any warning," Reid said. "She just came on screaming there was a shooter in the building and a lot us thought it was real."

"We thought there was a gunman in the building," sophomore Josh Franklin said.

Cleveland Heights police rushed to the school after receiving a call from a teacher, according to Chief Jeffrey Robertson.

Superintendent Nylajean McDaniel said students and teachers should have been notified.

"There was clearly insufficient communication about this project beforehand, with the result that some teachers and staff were understandably distressed," McDaniel said. "We felt that the seriousness of the incident demanded further investigation, and so the administrative principal was put on administrative leave one day last week while the investigation was being conducted."

They were working on the project around 7 a.m., and Wiley announced on the public address system that it was for a safety video, district spokeswoman Angee Shaker said. Classes begin at 8:25 a.m., and students and teachers who came in later in the morning did not hear Wiley say it wasn't real.

McDaniel said Wiley apologized for the confusion.