Police have determined that the anonymous email bomb threats made to the Hilton Central School District on March 22 and 24 were hoaxes that pose no threat to the community.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Greece Police Department responded to and have been investigating both incidents with the assistance of federal law enforcement partners. The threats came from a Russian email account and stated that bombs had been placed in all district schools. No bombs or suspicious materials were found following either threat. Investigators confirmed that a handful of other communities across the country received somewhat similar email threats.
A joint statement issued by MCSO and Greece PD on March 26 said, “The common trait amongst these emails is the use of overseas email addresses and routing the messages through overseas servers, all to conceal their identity. In each of these independent investigations, no credible threat has been identified. We have not found any links between these emails and local individuals wishing harm on the school. This has clearly been a hoax meant to cause panic and disruption in our school community.”
The school district has implemented additional security measures that police say go “above and beyond what is expected for this situation” to ease concerns so students and staff feel safe returning to school.
Superintendent Casey Kosiorek said a contract has been secured for additional professional security presence outside normal school hours. During school hours, buildings will have one point of entry with security staff to provide access until evening activities are done at each school.
“We are not naive to think these emails will suddenly end, and should they continue, we will investigate them,” police stated.
The threats have indeed continued, with another being received on Monday, March 27, but the school day went on as scheduled in large part due to the additional security measures the district put in place.
“Since these emails lack all credibility, we fully support the district’s authority to not allow these threats to disrupt the education our students deserve,” police stated. “Should additional legitimate information come forward, we will respond accordingly and take all necessary precautions.”
Kosiorek said that plans have been solidified for staff and students in case there is a need to evacuate in the future. If necessary, off-site locations have been secured by the Director of Transportation.
Community members are asked to contact the Safe Schools Helpline immediately via the website https://www.safeschoolhelpline.com or by calling 1-800-418-6423 ext. 359 if they see or hear something concerning. This service is available 24/7 for anyone in the community.
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