School Warns Students to Be Wary of Clown Friend Requests After Threats

A suburban school is warning students to be wary of their Facebook friend requests after accounts with clown profile pictures have threatened students that accept them.

Oak Park River Forest High School said it has received multiple reports of students being friended on Facebook by people using a clown photo as their profile picture.

“Students accept the request, then receive threats that the unknown subject is coming to school to beat people up,” Karin Sullivan, director of communications at the school, said in a statement.

The school said it has no indication there is a threat to the school, but said police and extra security will be present on campus at dismissal time.

“These “creepy clown hoaxes” have been reported in other areas of the country as well, and we are working with local and state police to investigate these incidents,” Sullivan said.

The school also asked students to be careful of who they accept as friends on social media, saying they should only accept requests from people they know.

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