Hilton Central School District Superintendent Casey Kosierek assured parents that their children will be safe as they return to school on Monday despite email threats received by the school district on Monday and Wednesday. In a statement released on Sunday, Kosierek stated that the email threats have no credibility and that additional security measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of the students.
However, some parents remain concerned about their children’s safety, including Kristin Davis, who has three children attending HCSD. While Davis acknowledges the added security measures, she is unsure whether to send her children to school on Monday. She questions whether the email threats were part of a larger hoax, and she believes that the school needs to find the culprits to ensure the safety of the students.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Greece Police Department have released a separate statement assuring the public that they have not found any links between the email threats and local individuals wishing harm on the school. They believe that the email threats were a hoax intended to cause panic and disruption in the school.
In response to the email threats, the school district has taken several measures to ensure the safety and security of the students, including securing a contract for additional professional security presence outside normal school hours and adding internal security measures to secure the schools. Buildings will have only one point of entry with security staff providing access until evening activities are done at each school.
The law enforcement agencies have stated that the Hilton Central School District has exceeded their expectations for safety and security moving forward. They also added that if an identical or similar non-credible threat comes through, they would provide additional presence outside schools but consider it safe to continue with the normal school day.
Despite the email threats, the Hilton Central School District will be in session on Monday. Parents are encouraged to contact the Safe Schools Helpline immediately via the website or by calling 1-800-418-6423 EXT. 359 if they see or hear something concerning. The service is available 24/7 for anyone in the community.
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