There has always been a percentage of the population consumed with an overwhelming fear of clowns. While there isn’t any official data regarding how many people struggle with coulrophobia, some estimates indicate around 12% of U.S. adults suffer from this irrational fear of clowns.
However, recently, coulrophobia has become the norm among school-aged children. Back in late August, rumors spread about people dressed as clowns luring children into the woods in Greenville, S.C., and those supposed clown sightings have persisted in several states. While the majority of the clown sightings have been hoaxes, some have led to arrests.
Children are coming home from school sharing stories they’ve heard about how clowns are dragging people into the woods and beating them silly. Now, obviously, these stories are figments of youthful imaginations, but they are continuously reinforced when they appear on the nightly news every single night. And, since children are paying attention to the news even when parents think they aren’t paying attention, the clown sightings craze persists.
And, while parents may attempt to dispel the clown sightings craze, there needs to be a continuity in that message. So, how are schools addressing the issue in the classroom setting?
School officials
Superintendents throughout the region are not taking the issue lightly.
According to a news release provided by Houston Public Schools Superintendent Krin Abraham to media, staff, and parents of students, “On Monday, October 10, in the afternoon, local law enforcement inferred administration at Houston Public Schools that a potential credible threat had been discovered on Facebook. The schools — Houston Preschool, Houston Elementary and Houston High Schools — went into a modified lockdown.” By the end of the school day, authorities had identified the person who had posted the threat, and the perpetrator confessed with an acknowledgement that the Facebook post was a prank. The news release concluded, “Even though the threat was found to be a prank, we at Houston Public Schools are proud of our students, staff, parents and community for the support and cooperation displayed during the modified lockdown.”
Matt Schultz, superintendent of Lanesboro Public Schools, indicated that he shared an e-mail with his staff along with a Star-Tribune newspaper article relating to the issue of clown sightings. “Staff — Obviously, we strive to keep our students as safe as possible. I have heard some rumors about clowns at schools and have found this newspaper article that discusses the situation. They caught the teenaged girl that had originally posted the threat on Facebook. From what I can gather there have been no reports of clowns in schools nor that there is any type of threat. If you hear students discussing this please make sure they know that they are in a safe environment and that there have been no threats from clowns at Lanesboro Public Schools.”
Mabel-Canton Public Schools Superintendent Jennifer Backer indicated that they have had staff meetings, sent e-mails and messages to parents and the community, along with have discussions with students on a case-by-case basis. In a message to Mabel-Canton staff, Superintendent Jennifer Backer emphasized, “As a proactive measure, specifically with the recent national influx in ‘scary clowns’ wandering suspiciously around, please consider this communication as a reminder, that all staff and student’s safety and security is the number one priority of the school district. If a staff member, or a student, does witness a ‘clown’ on the school district grounds or in a nearby neighborhood roaming, please contact administration, ASAP. Administration will not take this extremely despicable action by those instilling fear in others, lightly. On the same note, we do also ask that the elementary staff discuss the importance of self-safety and stranger danger with their classes (teachers should gauge where each class is at related to the ‘scary clown’ topic). At this point, ‘scary clowns’ have not been seen in the Mabel-Canton area. Again, it can not be emphasized enough, that safety is the priority of the district and communication is key; all security measures are employed. Parents will be made aware of the district’s action on this topic, via email and text messaging within the next day or so.”
In addition to asking staff to be on alert and report any unusual behavior among students, Rushford-Peterson Superintendent Chuck Ehler issued a statement to staff and parents titled “Clown Hoax — Threats to Schools”. Within that statement, Ehler identified how the school would address any concerns relating to the topic at hand, making the safety of the children the top priority.
Ed Harris, Superintendent of Chatfield Public Schools, shared, “Our principals communicate with their staff members about the importance of being active listeners and addressing discussions between students that might be alarming. The principal will likely become directly involved with addressing the student conversations if the intent was to frighten others. Staff are to reassure younger students that much of what they are hearing is the result of hoaxes and media attention. However, they know to report any suspicious people or activity to an adult.”
Fillmore Central Public Schools Superintendent Richard Keith shared the following note send out to all Fillmore Central staff: “In the recent weeks, there has been a growing national trend regarding threats from individuals dressed as clowns. We have not received any such threats at Fillmore Central. While we don’t want to waste time solving a problem that does not exist, we do need to stay on top of any incidents that may pose a threat to the safety of our students and/or staff, and we do need to be able to adequately answer questions raised by concerned students and/or parents. Rest assured that we will continue to employ the security measures we have in place to keep our buildings and grounds safe. Visitors must be let into our buildings through an identifiable video system. Anyone wearing a mask or otherwise concealing his or her identity will not be allowed in the building. This prohibition includes all activities. In addition, students should always be reminded to notify a staff member if they see anything suspicious.”
Kingsland Public Schools Superintendent John McDonald, stated “Kingsland also has sent notice to staff similar to Fillmore Central.”
Law enforcement
Fillmore County Sheriff Tom Kaase issued the following statement, “Creep Clown, Scary Clown, Killer Clown, I’m sure most have heard of this seeing how it has consumed a big portion of our news lately. On the 5th of October, we even had a reported sighting of a person in a clown mask carrying a pipe or club in the City of Preston. A Preston officer responded to this call, but was unable to locate the reported masked clown. In the wake of what has been happening and reported, to put on a clown mask and go out in public for the mere reason of causing a reaction in people isn’t exercising the best judgement. Couple this with the increased bad judgement of possessing and displaying something that may be a weapon or construed as a weapon will result in that person being arrested and charged with a crime. What crime? A Minnesota State Statute of Disorderly Conduct, #609.72, which is a misdemeanor. A short summary of this statute is when a person does something, in public or private, knowing or having reasonable grounds to know that it will, or will tend to, alarm, anger or disturb others or provoke an assault or breach of peace, is guilty of disorderly assault. A misdemeanor can land you a $1,000.00 fine, 90 days in jail, or both. Another Minnesota Statute is called Concealing Identity. This law, #609.735, makes it a misdemeanor crime to conceal a person’s identity in a public place by robe, mask, or other disguise (unless for religious reasons, weather, medical, amusement, or entertainment). Personal safety for all involved must be considered. I shudder to think of the tragedy that could happen if a person believed they were being attacked with a weapon by a clown and reacted with force to protect themselves or others they were with. If people want to ‘clown around’ dressing up like this and trying to scare and alarm people (adults and kids), that’s their poor choice. Our choice is to not clown around and simply arrest and charge you. Please everyone have a fun, safe fall and Halloween!”
Additionally, Fillmore County Attorney Brett Corson, cited Minnesota State Statute 609.735 CONCEALING IDENTITY, also referenced by Sheriff Kaase, adding that “If an individual is dressed in a clown outfit which masks their face or conceals their identity and it is not Halloween and they are walking down the sidewalk, a police officer can walk up to them and ask them what they are doing. This is allowed by the law and allows the officer to identify the individual and find out what is going on. If the person is dressed as a clown on Halloween night, it is fair to say that the person is most likely just having fun and enjoying the evening. However, if the person is just wandering the streets and is engaged in suspicious activity, law enforcement can again stop the person and assess the situation. Moreover, if the person is carrying a club or weapon or has been harassing or threatening people, the officer can certainly stop the person in the clown outfit, determine the facts and arrest if necessary for a variety of charges such as disorderly conduct, assault, concealing their identity, etc. Thus, there are plenty of tools available to our office and law enforcement to address these concerns while still allowing people the freedom to enjoy Halloween and have fun. The last thing I would say is that we are blessed with many great people in this county. Our schools, social services, citizens, church leaders, community leaders, and law enforcement must continue to work together to keep our communities safe, encourage our children and parents, and keep Fillmore County a great place to live.”
Parents and kids
While kids come home from school sharing horror stories about scary clowns appearing in Rushford, Harmony, Wykoff, Spring Valley, Fountain, Preston, Chatfield, and many other communities too close to home, none of it is true.
If there is one article to encourage school-aged children to read in this week’s issue of the Fillmore County Journal, this would be the one. And, maybe we can put the clown sightings craze to rest just in time for Halloween.
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