Clowning Around

The Salem Police Department and the Salem-Keizer superintendent Christy Perry have issued a statement dealing with the clown incident that has everyone in Oregon worried. Many parents and students are on edge after reports of clown sightings near schools, and local police departments have sent out messages hoping to address the clown concerns.
There have also been numerous posts and photos circulating around social media. According to Police take on rumors of clowns threats near local schools by Katherine Kisiel, ‘”I saw the picture. It said, ‘We will be at high schools this Friday to either kidnap students or kill teachers going to their cars,'” said the woman [who didn’t want to be identified.] “At that point it brought up concern, do I really want to send my kids to school on Friday knowing that this is being sent around to all the local kids here?”
Perry sent a message home to parents:
“This is Salem-Keizer Public Schools Superintendent Christy Perry with a message for parents.
School safety is our top priority, so I wanted to share some information with you. Recently, there has been a national trend of “clown threats” against schools posted on social media. Now we are hearing about people with the word “clown” in their social media profile making threatening statements online about some of our schools. We have a comprehensive threat assessment process and we are evaluating any and all concerns including threats on social media.
We are cooperating with police to investigate these statements and will hold the culprits accountable if caught. Fortunately, at this time, there are no known credible threats. We ask that students do not dress or act in ways that would make this issue more disruptive.
If you have concerns regarding a specific school threat, please contact law enforcement or your school office. Working together, we can keep our schools safe and welcoming for our students and staff. Thank you”