By Kevin Coughlin
Extra police will be present at Morristown and Morris Township schools in the wake of a “creepy clown” online message threatening kidnappings by clowns in Morristown this week, Morris School District Superintendent Mackey Pendergrast said in a message to parents on Thursday.
“I have received information from our local police departments that some of our students have recently observed these type of postings, including one stating clowns were going to go to Morristown last night in order to commit kidnappings,” Pendergrast said.
While emphasizing that no credible threats have been identified, the superintendent said authorities and the district take such matters seriously.
“Accordingly, we will have an increased police presence at all of our schools over the next few days. Please note the purpose of the police presence is to provide a visible reminder to our students, staff, and parents that our students are in a safe environment at all times.
“As always, we will continue to be vigilant to create a secure environment and we will continue to work closely with our local police departments,” Pendergrast said.
Police are becoming a familiar sight at district schools. Patrols were beefed up twice last month — after a backpack of bullets was found near the Frelinghuysen Middle School, and again in response to a “nonspecific threat” allegedly posted by a high schooler from outside the district.
Several youths in New Jersey and across the country have been charged with posting hoaxes involving alleged threats or attacks by sinister clowns.
Two teens were charged early Wednesday in Fair Lawn after a motorist said their vehicle was tailing her, with two people in clown masks hanging out of windows. Police said two masks were found inside. The driver was charged with reckless driving; a passenger was charged with marijuana possession. Three other passengers were released without charges, according to news accounts.
The hysteria even prompted a tweet from horror writer Stephen King, whose 1986 novel It featured a monster named Pennywise, disguised as a clown.
“Hey, guys, time to cool the clown hysteria — most of em are good, cheer up the kiddies, make people laugh,” King tweeted.
Pendergrast issued a similar appeal.
“Many of our students are inappropriately interacting with unknown people on social media who are reaching out to them through Instagram and other platforms, including this last incident. It is important to note that this exacerbates the problem significantly and is dangerous to your child and others, especially if your child is giving out personal or geographical information, which, in fact, occurred in this last incident and other incidents,” the superintendent said.
“I urge all parents to discuss your family rules on cell phone and app usage, internet safety, and digital citizenship. We will continue to discuss with students the importance of refraining from responding to any inappropriate posts and to immediately report any inappropriate post to a parent, teacher, administrator or local police department. Our partnership in this area is essential.”
Pendergrast’s full statement follows.
MESSAGE FROM THE MORRIS SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT
October 6th, 2016
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The purpose of this letter is to address disconcerting postings on social media that are taking place throughout the nation and in our district, including inappropriate student interaction on social media platforms, such as Instagram.
As you may be aware, recently there have been many schools in Morris County and many more throughout New Jersey and the entire nation that have been dealing with threatening “clown” postings on the internet. I have received information from our local police departments that some of our students have recently observed these type of postings, including one stating clowns were going to go to Morristown last night in order to commit kidnappings. Many schools in Morris County have received a very similar post within the last ten days. The origin of these postings may be local, but of course, it may be coming from individuals in another state or nation as well. Please be assured the police have determined these posts are not a credible threat to our schools or students.
The Morristown and Morris Township Police Departments and the Morris School District take these events seriously and we continue to work with the appropriate officials to further investigate this incident. Accordingly, we will have an increased police presence at all of our schools over the next few days. Please note the purpose of the police presence is to provide a visible reminder to our students, staff, and parents that our students are in a safe environment at all times. As always, we will continue to be vigilant to create a secure environment and we will continue to work closely with our local police departments.
Many of our students are inappropriately interacting with unknown people on social media who are reaching out to them through Instagram and other platforms, including this last incident. It is important to note that this exacerbates the problem significantly and is dangerous to your child and others, especially if your child is giving out personal or geographical information, which, in fact, occurred in this last incident and other incidents.
I urge all parents to discuss your family rules on cell phone and app usage, internet safety, and digital citizenship. We will continue to discuss with students the importance of refraining from responding to any inappropriate posts and to immediately report any inappropriate post to a parent, teacher, administrator or local police department. Our partnership in this area is essential.
Thank you. Please reach out if you have additional questions. Sincerely,
Mackey Pendergrast
Superintendent of Schools
