The following letter was sent home to parents of secondary school students on Friday, October 7, 2016. The issue has been predominant at the secondary school level. The letter has not been sent to parents of elementary school students so as not to cause undue alarm.

October 7, 2016

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Subject: Creepy Clowns

You may have heard through the mainstream media about the "creepy clown" phenomenon that has been gaining popularity among young people around the world. Essentially, this social craze involves people dressing up like creepy clowns, scaring people and posting pictures to social media. The actual creepy clown events are quite often preceded by social media posts indicating the date, time, location and, sometimes, a weapon the clown will have.

Threats of creepy clowns appearing at schools have now begun to surface in the North Vancouver School District. Uttering threats against schools for any reason is unacceptable. The North Vancouver RCMP is supporting the North Vancouver School District to address creepy clown threats. These threats can be quite dangerous because spontaneous violence can occur when people are frightened by others in scary clown masks.

We encourage parents to speak with their children about the seriousness of the creepy clown phenomenon. While we understand that students likely believe it is a harmless prank, it truly is terrifying for people and can spark violence. It is also important that students understand the significance of uttering threats against their school. Schools are safe places for all students and staff, and any threat jeopardizes this safety. We will be following-up with students by discussing the issue with them at school on Tuesday.

Thank you for your support with this important issue.

Sincerely,

Mark Pearmain

Superintendent

North Vancouver School District