More schools across the country are taking all those creepy clown threats SERIOUSLY

The stories of clowns terrorizing communities have just been getting worse/weirder. At first it was just clowns trying to lure kids into the woods (we realize that *just* might be a weird way to phrase that) – but then it became clowns wielding swords and threatening schoolchildren, and it went from sketchy to downright terrifying.

According to USA Today, many communities (and there are a LOT that have been dealing with this weird clown threat) are treating these clowns like a hoax – a creepy, creepy hoax.

However, one school district isn’t taking any risks when it comes to danger for students, clown or otherwise. In Philadelphia, school district officials and police are teaming up to investigate these threats made against students.

In a joint statement made by the two groups, they explained, “The safety of our children and the communities surrounding our schools is a top priority for us and we are taking this matter seriously.

It makes sense: Hopefully, all these strange clown sightings are indeed hoaxes – in fact, a clown attack reported by a woman in Ohio last week turned out to be fake. According to Newsday, 18-year-old Alexsandra Conley had claimed that someone dressed as a clown brandished a knife at her and cut her thumb, making her late for work. However, inconsistencies in her story let to the discovery that it was false – this was after she stated that her attacker threatened schools, causing them to be shut down for the day. On the off chance that any threats are real, though, it’s best that districts and police department exercise caution and take extra measures to ensure peoples’ safety.

Another school district that’s being vigilant is Texas’ Spring Independent School District. While they’ve been able to confirm that threats made weren’t serious, they’ve ensured campuses are taking extra security measures.

The district also asked families to do their part in keeping everyone calm: "We ask parents and students to confirm facts and be cautious of what they share via social media, although we do appreciate students and parents alerting our Spring ISD Police Department to potential threats."

We’re glad that districts are taking the safety of students seriously, and we *really* hope this scary clown trend stops ASAP.