The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school board is passing on the province's message about the recent fad of creepy clowns scaring people online and on streets.
Online threats about creepy clowns showing up in schools isn't being considered as any kind of joke by the Ministry of Education.
"Many students see this as a prank and not as a criminal behaviour," said Theresa Campbell, with the Safer Schools Together team at the ministry.
However, "It is also important to make students aware that if they engage in, or participate in any way, in this type of threat related behaviour, they will experience discipline and/or criminal charges."
Campell said a number of threats have been made, referring to kidnapping or targeting Metro Vancouver schools with threats of violence. Most of those threats have come through Snapchat or Instagram accounts.
On Thursday, two brothers, saw a clown outside Simonds elementary in Langley.
Kids also encountered clowns near H.W. Stafford Middle School in Langley last week But a in a letter from the school to the parents Langley RCMP say the kids knew it was a prank.
"It is imperative that you talk to your children about reporting these threats if they see them on social media and bring them to the attention of school officials and/or law enforcement," Campbell said.
All school districts, many independent schools and band schools in B.C. have, through the ERASE Bullying Strategy, received training in assessing and responding to threat-related behaviour, Campbell said.