Clown Costumes Banned at Some Suburban Schools This Halloween

Some Chicago-area schools are banning clown costumes this Halloween after several reports of people dressing in creepy clown costumes and threatening or harassing others have surfaced in the suburbs, and across the nation, in recent weeks.

A clown costume ban is in place this Halloween season at all 13 elementary schools within Community Unit School District 200, which is based in Wheaton, according to the Naperville Sun. Glenbard East High School has also banned clown costumes, Peg Mannion, community relations coordinator for Glenbard Township High School District 87, told the Naperville Sun in the statement.

Other school districts are simply encouraging students to skip the clown costumes when dressing up.

“At the elementary level we have discouraged clown costumes, but didn't go as far as banning them,” Morgan Delack, director of communications for Barrington 220 School District, said in an e-mail response.

District 155, which is based in Crystal Lake, is also “strongly discouraging” any clown costumes at its four high schools, which include Prairie Ridge, Cary-Grove, Crystal Lake Central and Crystal Lake South high schools, Shannon Podzimek, spokeswoman for District 155, told Patch.

“Costumes may not cover up a student’s identity, and no masks or total face paint are allowed. Any costumes that become a disruption to the normal school day will be addressed,” said Podzimek regarding other restrictions when it comes to Halloween costumes.

As for Libertyville District 70 schools, no specific clown costume restrictions are in place this year, Robin Smith Kollman, public relations facilitator for District 70, told Patch in an e-mail. Each school within the district has its own rules and regulations, but overall, students are typically asked to refrain from wearing costumes that may restrict visibility, are violent in nature or require imitation weapons.

“Some ban masks because it obstructs the student's vision and could create a problem in the Halloween parades and no one allows imitation weapons,"Kollman said.

More on Patch

• Reports of Armed Creepy Clowns Roaming Carol Stream are False: Police
• Clown Sightings Reported on DuPage County Paths, Roadways and in Parks
• Sheriff's Office Takes Proactive Steps to Address Creepy Clowns in Lake County
• Round Lake Police Investigating Social Media Post About Clown Visiting High School Campus
• Crystal Lake Police Investigating 'Suspicious' Social Media Post in Light of Creepy Clown Trend