Mary Bowerman

USA TODAY Network

Philadelphia school district officials and police are investigating creepy clown threats made against local schools on social media, officials said Sunday.

In a joint statement, the school district and Philadelphia Police Department said officials are investigating the disturbing threats against students and teachers, WCAU-TV reported.

“The safety of our children and the communities surrounding our schools is a top priority for us and we are taking this matter seriously,” officials said in the statement.

Philadelphia is far from the first city to deal with threatening social media posts warning against violence from creepy clowns. People posing as threatening clowns on social media are forcing schools nationwide to send letters to parents, and some have even been locked down.

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On Sunday night, the Spring Independent School District in Houston issued a security statement due to new clown threat hoaxes made online, KHOU-TV reported.

While many schools and police departments are calling the threats a hoax, the remarks are being taken seriously, according to officials.

Spring Independent School District in Texas said in a Facebook post that investigators confirmed the threats were a hoax, but the extra security measures were being taken on school campuses.

"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," the district said in a post.

According to school officials, the police department will continue to monitor and investigate potential threats.

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Contributing: KHOU-TV, Houston