Clown costumes banned in Prince George schools
Ban comes after 'threatening' Instagram post of cartoon clowns with guns leads to school lockdowns
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-yellow lockdown after RCMP became aware of an Instagram post investigators deemed threatening but "non-credible."
The image was taken from the animated television series Archer and 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 threats and 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 letter informing 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 no clowns are allowed in the store.
The moves are in reaction to a growing trend of teens and adults dressing up as creepy clowns to spook the public.
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 clown threats.
"When our kids call this behaviour a prank, [we need to] make sure we're calling it what it is. And when you start to talk about threat-related behaviour and targeting schools, 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 Zeidler and Danielle Newman