SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) – Creepy clown sightings are terrifying children across the country, so Sarasota County school officials are stepping up to address the concern. They’re enlisting parents to help.

The school system is being proactive. On Friday morning parents received robocalls, urging them to talk to their kids about this issue. In addition, counselors are being made available to students who need to talk.RELATED: Clown chaos keeping Tampa Bay area law enforcement busy

The school system is trying to reassure parents there’s no real threat in Sarasota County from this creepy clown trend.

Two weeks ago high school student Luis Palacios and his friends were at a skate park when he saw two odd figures staring at him. “They were wearing white shirts, had blood all over them, clown mask and like bloody clothing all over them. It was really weird,” Palacios recalled.

He wasn’t scared. Instead, he sees this as a sad commentary on our culture today.

“I can’t believe our generation has come to that,” Palacios said.

Kids shouldn’t have to deal with this at all, he said. “We shouldn’t even have that; that shouldn’t even be a problem in this world right now,” Palacios added.

The threats and sightings have scared middle school student Le’asia Young. “I have a fear of clowns. I hate clowns; none whatsoever,” she said.

Officials are not taking these clown threats and sightings lightly. In fact, a 12-year-old Pasco County boy was charged with a felony for allegedly making a murderous clown threat on social media.

Some students hope Sarasota County’s new initiative helps resolve the issue. “I hope there (are) no more clown threats, no more clowns coming,” Young said.