As a precautionary procedure, all Kanawha County schools had restricted outdoor activities Friday after an Instagram post threatened its high school students.
The post, titled "ain't clownin around," was seen Friday morning and reported to security officials as a concern by students, which led to the cancellation of recess at all schools, along with additional patrolling of school grounds and heightened attention by security.
Keith Vititoe, security director for Kanawha County Schools, said the school wanted to implement additional safety measures on the off chance something happened with the recent spate of threatening clown reports in the U.S. No incidents occurred, he said.
"With all the clown stuff going around the country, we just wanted to take extra steps based on the possibility," he said. "We wanted to rule out any doubt."
Reports of people exhibiting threatening behavior while dressed as clowns have been reported in multiple states. In West Virginia, clown sightings have been reported in Mercer and Fayette counties.
The Fayette County Sheriff's Department in September warned they would arrest those dressing up as threatening clowns. Bridgeport police said this week they also would arrest people dressed as scary clowns after a clown holding a chainsaw was photographed in the area.
It is illegal in West Virginia to wear masks or face coverings to conceal the wearer's identity.
Kanawha County Schools posted an update to its Facebook page on the "recent clown threats on social media," saying every school was notified to be on alert.
No recess was held for any of the schools, but classes proceeded as normal. Vititoe said there were a few false sightings of clowns by students who wanted to incite a reaction.
Nobody protested the extra security measures, Vititoe said.
"It's just terrorism through social media, so we wanted to do something reasonable and keep kids indoors," he said.
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