Scary clowns prompt Ottawa school board to warn parents

A French-language school board in Ottawa is telling parents it's worried about the scary clown trend in the capital, but police say so far, none of the sightings reported has warranted investigation.

Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est, which operates 52 schools, sent an email to parents Wednesday with a subject line that referred to a "menace" at Ottawa schools.

Specifically, the board is concerned about a social media account called Clowns of Ottawa on the photo-sharing app Instagram.

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"Avenge my clowns avenge NOW when it is the time to do it," the account reads. So far the account features just one photo, obtained from the internet, of a clown in the woods.

In its email to parents, the board said it spoke to Ottawa police about the account, who deemed that there is no credible threat to students and that scary clown pranks are a growing trend.

Staff will pay particular attention to potential scary clowns while following the safety protocols already in place, the email reads.

Parents are asked to reassure their children, if necessary, and to tell them to report any sightings of scary clowns.

Two sightings in Barrhaven

Ottawa police say there were two sightings of clowns reported to police on Oct. 5:

In the first, a car was stopped on the side of the road in the Greenbank and Fallowfield road area with someone inside wearing a clown mask, according to police spokesperson Const. Chuck Benoit. A passerby stopped to help then called police.

In the second, someone dressed as a clown was spotted off Berrigan Drive, near Longfields-Davidson Secondary School and Berrigan Elementary School, Benoit said. The sighting happened around 3:45 p.m. but wasn't reported until 9 p.m.

Police determined investigations weren't warranted in either case, and say they "don't want to sensationalize" the growing trend of creepy clown pranks.

No charges in Gatineau incident

In August, a sighting of two creepy clowns — one of whom was carrying a chain — at a park in Gatineau, Que., prompted a Gatineau police investigation, but no charges were laid against the two teens involved because police found no criminal intent.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board said students have been warned about the danger of spreading rumours.

"We understand that there is a popular fad occurring in the States but at this time Ottawa police are advising that no such incidents have been reported to them," wrote spokesperson Sharlene Hunter in an email. 

"We have been in contact with all of our principals to let them know about what is happening in States. Should an incident occur our principals will report it to the school resource officer."