ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Hilton Central School District sent a notice to parents Monday afternoon indicating the district received a 3rd threat.
According to the district, another threat was sent to local media and was reported to law enforcement. The district credited the security measures announced over the weekend for allowing the school day to continue as scheduled and deemed the incident “part of the ongoing hoax.”
On Sunday, law enforcement and the district issued a joint letter classifying the two bomb threats made to Hilton Central School District last week as hoaxes, and pose no threat to the community.
Wednesday morning, Hilton CSD received a threat from a Russian email account that bombs had been placed in several locations throughout the district. Friday, a second email threat came through.
The Greece Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and several federal law enforcement partners responded to and have been investigating both incidents. Sunday evening, they provided an update to the community on the threats — or lack thereof.
“This has clearly been a hoax meant to cause panic and disruption in our school community,” their joint investigation update reads.
Police said they were able to confirm similar threats were made throughout the week to a handful of communities around the country.
While school closed for the day following Wednesday’s threat, students did return to the classroom Thursday. After Friday’s threat, students finished out the school day once K-9 units swept the schools.
Investigators said that they have not found any link whatsoever between the threats and credible harm from a local individual or group. They emphasized that the perpetrators elected to use overseas emails and servers to conceal their identities.
“We are not naïve to think these emails will suddenly end, and, should they continue, we will investigate them,” police stated.
They added that given the false nature of the threats, they fully support the district’s decision to continue activities and classes. Hilton CSD has upgraded their security over the weekend, police said, to ease concerns.
“We are confident that the district administration is taking all reasonable and necessary measures to ensure students and staff feel safe to return to school.”
The FBI released a statement Tuesday, saying:
“The FBI is aware of last week’s bomb threats throughout the Hilton Central School District. We will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention. We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.“
