District personnel director Brad Basham sent out a district-wide email to its student and parent population addressing a social media trend, entitled “Creepy Clown Safety Message.” This email follows hundreds of posts on social media of clowns appearing in residential areas and identifies clowns “as a serious threat.”

“If your child has access to clown attire, please make sure they don’t bring it to school,” Basham said. “If your child comes into contact with anyone with clown attire, they should immediately report it to school officials.”

The email also attached a bulletin from Modesto Police Department addressing the reality of the clown social media threats.