Ahead of Halloween, Austin Schools Besieged With Menacing Clown Threats

AUSTIN, TX -- Please don't send in the clowns. Don't bother: They're here -- but Austin school officials aren't happy about their arrival.

Over the weekend, numerous menacing missives -- some outright threats of violence -- have been sent to several area schools. One of the most threatening was sent to Manor ISD Friday morning, a screenshot of which was posted by KVUE-TV.

Sent by "Klown Joey," the message is riddled with grammatical mistakes and misspellings, but its aim to frighten comes through nonetheless: "Where gonna get yall manor high kids in all the bathrooms we got cameras set up we are out to kill and attack ... see y'all tomorrow," the message reads.

The threatening messages are often accompanied with photos depicting not the happy-go-lucky variety of clown whose animal balloons delight and amaze, but scary clowns intended more to frighten than to amuse.

KXAN-TV reports that in the past week and through the weekend, school officials have had to investigate social media threats made by people dressed as clowns. Other people have reported scary clown sightings on campus. The weekend brought heightened messages from clowns at the following schools:

• Austin High School
• Eastside Memorial High School
• LASA High School
• McCallum High School
• LBJ High School
• Reagan Early College High School
• Kealing Middle School
• Martin Middle School
• O. Henry Middle School

“Threats of any kind against our school, students and staff will be investigated immediately and are not tolerated," Austin ISD officials wrote in a letter sent to students and parents. "We encourage our community to report threatening behavior of any kind so police may investigate and we can work together to keep our campus safe.

KXAN noted that last week, Hays CISD officials also reported a clown threat against Lehman High School, which turned out to be a hoax. District officials have since determined there is no credible threat against the school, notwithstanding the unnerving clown message.

Officials at Del Valle High School sent a similar letter to parents in efforts to assuage fears of threatening clowns.

The clown spotted at Manor High School, meanwhile, was nowhere to be found by the time officials arrived to investigate, the news station added.

The emergence of clown threats and sightings is part of a national trend that has reached Texas. Similar scary clown reports have been received in Houston as well. North Texas wasn't immune either, with school officials having to assuage parents' concerns over reports of descending clowns there too.

While area school officials' response may initially appear overblown, there is precedence to take the threats seriously. In Reading, Pa. on Sept. 25, one student was stabbed to death in a clown melee, the local NBC affiliate reported.

Those with information related to the Austin ISD clown threats are urged to call school district police at (512) 414-1703.

>>> Image: William Gray, via Flickr