Despite clown threats, Wilson plans classes as usual Wednesday

by Steve Reinbrecht

UPDATE [10 p.m. Oct. 5] No clown hostility was reported at Wilson School District schools.

Wilson School District will hold classes as usual Wednesday -- although extra police will be on patrol -- after somebody made repeated “clown” threats against district schools, Superintendent Curt Baker said Tuesday night. He contacted residents by e-mail just after 10 a.m. and in a phone message just after 8 p.m.

Police “do not believe the threats contained in the messages to be credible,” Baker said in his message. “In an abundance of caution, police will increase patrols of our schools.”

A message posted Tuesday morning on Instagram, an online social medium, said:

“We will be coming to the following schools tommorow [sic] at 12:30: Reading HS, Governor Mifflin, Wilson Hs, Twin Valley. REMEMBER WE DID WARN YOU. There will be 3 of us at each school Love, gigglez.”

Berks County detectives were investigating “clown related threats” toward those four districts, according to a post on the Berks County district attorney office’s Facebook page.

Spring Township police said “several individuals” received the"threats" on Instagram.

High School Principal Chris Trickett sent a message to students about the hostile messages and thanked those who “quickly notified our teachers and principals. The prompt relay of information from social media is necessary and greatly appreciated."

Students were discussing the messages and that teachers were reassuring them, district spokeswoman Kristin Kramer said Tuesday afternoon. 

Early messages mentioned the high school, and later messages also mentioned the “MS.” The district has two middle schools.

Baker said he would not hesitate to send his own children to school.

Detectives ask that anyone with information call 610-478-7171.

Here is a recent bulletin about clown threats from the state police:

A number of clown related social media posts were displayed this past weekend regarding threats towards school districts in Pennsylvania and throughout the country. Some threats stated that a clown would arrive at the school and “shoot all students and teachers,” while another threat stated they “weren’t clowning around.” Most of the social media posts were attributed to a “clown joke,” possibly linked to numerous clown sightings throughout the nation and the world.

These sightings have not been validated and there are no known threats to schools in Pennsylvania. Residents are encouraged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to their closest police department.

Over the last few months, “creepy clowns” have been reported throughout the United States and the world. The media has reported incidents where clowns have stood on the street not moving or speaking, to incidents where creepy clowns attempted to lure children into wooded areas. These sightings have occurred in Wisconsin, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri, Colorado, Oregon, and Texas.

Many of these reported clown sightings have little to no evidence establishing their legitimacy, but it is fueling a clown panic throughout the country.

Due to the media coverage of clown sightings, many people want to become involved in the phenomenon. Over the past two weeks at least 12 people were arrested in Georgia, Alabama, and Virginia for making false reports of clown threats or chasing people while costumed.

This is not the first time a clown scare has occurred in this country. In the 1980s, clown sightings were reported in Boston, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Arlington Heights, among many other areas. Upon further investigation, police noticed that most, if not all the clown sightings, were witnessed only by children between the ages of five and seven.

The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) is providing this bulletin for informational purposes only. The PSP encourages reporting of suspicious activity by calling the toll‐free Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Terrorism Tip Line at (888) 292‐1919, or via email at tips@pa.gov.