Clown costumes banned in Prince George schools

Schools in Prince George, B.C., have implemented a ban on clown costumes this Halloween following a recent police incident involving a picture of cartoon clowns with guns.

On Oct.6, public schools in Prince George went into a code-yellowlockdownafter RCMP became aware of an Instagram post investigators deemed threatening but "non-credible."

The image was taken from the animated television series Archerand it depicted men in clown masks holding guns. The accompanying caption read, "Every school in PG about to get hit."

Two teenage boys thought to be responsible for the post were arrested, and one has been charged with uttering threatsand mischief by interfering with the operation of schools.

Clowns 'not appropriate at this time'

In light of that incident, school officials decided clown costumes "were not appropriate at this time," according to School District 57 superintendent Marilyn Marquis-Forster.

She said the decision was made at a recent meeting of district principals and vice-principals.

"School principals take responsibility for communicating appropriate dress codes at all times including during Halloween celebrations," she wrote in an email.

"Parents who have questions should contact their child's school for clarification."

Clowns an issue across the country

Prince George is not the only place clowns have been deemed inappropriate. Parents in Fort McMurray have received a letterinforming them clown costumes will not be allowed this year, and a bookstore in London, Ont. made headlines for putting up a sign, allegedly as a joke, indicating noclowns are allowed in the store.

The moves are in reaction to a growing trendof teens and adults dressing up as creepy clownsto spook the public.

• Creepy clown sightings set off hysteria across North America

Following the incident in Prince George, the anti-bullying group Safer Schools Together sent out a province-wide notice encouraging parents to talk to their children about the criminal implications of creepy clownthreats.

"When our kids call thisbehavioura prank, [we need to]makesure we'recallingit what it is. And when you start to talk about threat-relatedbehaviourandtargetingschools, that is a Criminal Code offence," said the organization's president Theresa Campbell.

"We are seeing kids that are facing charges for these threats."

With files from Maryse Zeidlerand Danielle Newman