ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Students in the Hilton Central School District were evacuated Wednesday morning following the threat of pipe bombs underneath several locations within the district.
There were no injuries and no devices have been found, representatives with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said. The schools were swept through with nitrate dogs to search for devices, but none were found, school officials said. MCSO will be providing an extended update at 3:15 p.m. on their investigation.
All Hilton CSD schools will be closed for the rest of the day, according to a 9:30 a.m. message from Hilton representatives to parents.
“Students will be boarding buses away from the school and will be kept safe and warm,” that morning message to parents read.
All after-school activities are also cancelled for Wednesday. However, school will be in session tomorrow.
“Although there is no credible threat, we will have law enforcement present at all buildings tomorrow and at arrival and dismissal through the end of the week out of an abundance of caution,” district representatives said in the afternoon statement.
News 8 has seen the email threat, which came in at around 8:30 a.m. The threat was immediately reported to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, who said they are aware and actively handling the situation. Roughly an hour later, parents received messages from the school regarding the evacuation, with instructions for pickup.
The threat claimed that several pipe bombs had been placed, and referenced all schools in the district as well as the superintendent. Ultimately, it did not prove to be a credible threat, MCSO and school representatives said.
The district said they’ve brought on extra counselors and their “trauma, illness, and grief” team to help students cope with the situation.
“If you think your child may need extra support, please call school personnel so we can help,” the statement said.
The school also encourages community members who see something suspicious to use their “safe school helpline,” available at 1-800-4-1-VOICE (1-800-418-6423). Texts can also be sent to 614-426-0240, with the code “TIPS.” All messages sent to either resource will remain completely anonymous.
Check back in with News 8 WROC as we continue to update this developing story.