No clowns allowed: scariest Halloween costume of 2016 faces bans across US
Schools and parades are banning clown costumes after hysteria over killer clowns but soaring sales indicate therell still be a lot of red noses around
Clowns are officially too scary for Halloween.
School districts, counties and spooky festivals across the country are banning clown costumes this year, after a summer of national hysteria over killer clowns and soaring sales of evil clown masks.
The creepy clowns craze kicked off in Greenville, South Carolina, with two clowns trying to lure a little boy into the woods. From there, clown sightings kept happening, across the south in Florida and Kentucky and up to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. School districts, from Colorado to New York, were hit with killer clown threats. A clown holding a knife threatened a teenager on a New York City subway train.
So its no surprise one of the hottest 2016 Halloween outfits is a clown.
But clowns are turning Halloween from fun-scary to scary-scary by terrifying children so much that schools are banning them from Halloween parades.
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In West Milford, New Jersey, superintendent Alex Anemone stopped kids in the school district from slapping on a big fake red nose, announcing in a statement:
As a precaution and to allow our youngest children to feel comfortable, we are asking all students, parents, and staff to follow the below rules to make our Halloween celebrations as enjoyable as possible for everyone:
- Clown costumes, masks, or face paint shall be prohibited.
In Montclair, New Jersey, the interim superintendent, Ron Bolandi, penned a similar memo to parents:
I am asking for your cooperation in not allowing your children to dress up as clowns at any school event due to the possible disruption and fear it may cause. If anyone shows up with a clown related costume, they will be asked to change or sent home.
The Denver public school system also put a stop to clowning around.
To ensure the safety of our students, Denver public schools is banning all clown costumes from our school premises this Halloween season, said the DPS media relations manager, Alex Renteria, in an interview with 9News.
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The superintendent of the school district of New Haven, Connecticut, held a press conference in early October to announce its ban on clown and other symbols of terror outfits.
Any incident in which a student is found with clown-like apparel or other costumes that are perceived to be threatening given this context will be handled on a case-by-case basis, said Garth Harries in the press conference.
Several schools in the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, area including Spring Garden elementary school and Lincoln elementary school banned clown costumes, as did the Tredyffrin/Easttown school district in the state.
The Belmont Boo Festival in North Carolina, which took place on Saturday, declared on its advertising poster: No adult clown costumes will be allowed at this event!
But it seems clowns could enter the kids costume contests the youngest group is 0-2 years and the oldest is 4th-6th grade as long as they juggled the $5 entry fee.
Photos from the event did not reveal any creepy clowns, although they did show a terrifyingly cute Oompa Loompa outfit.
In Kemper County, Mississippi, local authorities went a step further, creating a county ordinance to make it illegal to appear in clown costume, mask or makeup until 1 November.
The sheriffs office will be upholding the law, punishable by a $150 fine.
The concern was that after months of clown hysteria, citizens might overreact if they saw one on their street or property. It wouldnt be good, said the Kemper county board president, Johnny Whitsett, according to the Kemper County Messenger.
Whitsett, who signed the ordinance, was unavailable for comment and the sheriffs office did not return the Guardians request for comment.
However, since theres no McDonalds in Kemper County, at least Ronald McDonald is safe.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/26/clowns-banned-halloween-costume-2016-schools