Some Bozo got the ball rolling online Thursday, but it’s no laughing matter this morning for parents, police and high school kids.

Hoax or no?

Go to school or stay home?

Someone rattled the nerves of many high schoolers and their families in London and elsewhere in Southwestern Ontario on Thursday, sending out a blanket online message warning them to stay home Friday because “the clowns are gonna be there.”

The evil clowns. The creepy clowns. The ones with scary pancake makeup and the big red noses.

The kind that have fueled a minor panic across North America, amid reports on the Internet of sadistic clowns trying to do everything from lure kids into forests, to confronting strangers with knives.

Such reports inevitably turn out to be pranks, but in the digital world in which real threats mix with the exaggerated, authorities can’t count on that.

“We are coming to every single (high school) in London, we are kidnapping students and killing teachers, we’re not clowning around,” the text read, setting off a three-ring circus of fear Thursday around the city.

The only mention in the social media message of the author of the London message was in brackets at the end : (clowns).

The message said the threat was “not a joke” and “it doesn’t matter what (high school) ur (sic) at other than (Regina Mundi), they’re coming.”

There was no explanation why the south London Catholic high school was somehow immune to the clown attacks.

And probably not-so-coincidentally, the threat to stay home is tagged to a Friday before the long Thanksgiving weekend, that, if successful would give frightened students an extra-long long weekend.

London police wouldn’t go so far as to say the threat is a ruse, but indicated they’re investigating one incident that was posted to an Instagram site. High school resource officers and school safety officers were notified and “the London Police are currently communicating with local school boards to ensure that the students remain safe within the school community.”

Parents were reminded to monitor their child’s social media activities.

“We would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that depending on your actions, there is a possibility that criminal charges may be laid if you are found to be responsible for the information that you post on social media,” the police said.

The Thames Valley District school board is working with the police.

“Student safety is a major priority for TVDSB and we will identify and report any suspicious activity in and around our schools,” said the board’s Valerie Nielsen, associate director of learning support services.

Since the wave of fake sightings began across North America, there have been pranks across Canada and the United States.

In August, there was a report that clowns were trying to entice children into the woods of South Carolina.

In Glace Bay, N.S., someone in a clown suit thought it would be wise to step out in front of cars and scare drivers. Not funny.

At two American universities, Penn State and Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., the fear factor has been so high, students have organized hunts for clowns. And in Utah, the police are warning not to shoot clowns.

It’s probably not wise to shoot anyone else, either.

One fake news website reported this week that 23 Canadians had been killed by some very nasty armed American clowns.

The evil clown posse seems to making stops across the region.

Chatham-Kent police said the social media hoax was on their radar Thursday. While there have been no clown sightings, they were advising people not to dress as a clown.

“We would like to remind everyone that although it is not an offence to dress in this fashion, our response will be dictated by your actions (ie: uttering threats, being in possession of a weapon, mischief, cause disturbance, trespassing etc),” police said in a news release.

In other words, it would be wise to keep their balloon animals, red noses and over-sized shoes at home.

At least for now.

jsims@postsmedia.com

twitter.com/JaneatLFPress

This message was sent to some students at London high schools (Supplied photo)