SAN RAMON (KRON) — School officials in San Ramon are warning parents of the creepy clown social media threats.

These threats are just the latest of many clown-related incidents nationwide. Creepy clown sightings, encounters, and threats have been widespread across the nation in the last month.

Schools all over the Bay Area have been the targets of threats including Oakland, Antioch, and San Jose.

The San Ramon Valley Unified School District sent out a letter to parents:

Dear SRVUSD Parents and Staff,

As you may be aware, there is a social media hoax that is being shared across the U.S. about clowns attacking people in communities and other threats of violence. Some of these threats have been related to schools in the Bay Area. There have been no clown sightings in the San Ramon Valley and no local threats have been substantiated as of this writing.

Today, we received a report of a Twitter threat against California High School made by an individual identifying themselves as a clown. Law enforcement will be taking additional steps beginning today to increase police presence in and around our schools as a precautionary measure.

The San Ramon Valley Unified School District and its partnering law enforcement agencies take all threats very seriously and investigate them thoroughly. As always, the safety of our students and staff is our top priority.

Please take a moment to talk to your student about making good choices online. Social media posts that threaten a school and/or any student is considered a terrorist threat, is punishable by law, and could result in disciplinary action from the school district. You can find more information about having a conversation with your students about online safety at SRVUSD’s Digital Citizenship website

Thank you for your ongoing support of our students and our schools.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Graswich

San Ramon Valley Unified School District

Director of Communications & Community Relations