It looks as though Key West is not immune to viral trends, including clown sightings. The Key West Police Department wants to warn students and parents that the current trend of clown sightings can be disturbing and disruptive.

Across the country, social media and the press have been reporting a trend of alleged sightings of people being dressed up as clowns and often behaving menacingly. There are reports of clowns hovering at the edge of wooded areas and clowns walking around with knives or machetes. There are Blair Witch-styled videos and grainy photographs all over Facebook. Whether there are actually people dressing up to scare others or whether it’s an urban myth designed to send shivers up the spine, it’s clearly a fad.

Students in Key West have, over the past week or so, joined the trend. Today an HOB student was cited and suspended for making clown-related threats.

Police want to remind parents to check with the Monroe County School District or the police if you hear rumors of alleged lock downs. Don’t rely on social media for your information, and don’t spread wild rumors.

And the message to students is two-fold. If you receive a threat – whether it’s related to this recent trend or another type of threat – report it immediately to the school, your parents, or a school resource officer. On the other hand, students tempted to scare their classmates should be aware that pranks like this can have very serious and even criminal consequences. Threats or hints of violence are not a joke. They can end in arrest or suspension from school.

So enjoy the creepy tales on line, but please don’t act them out.