Snapchat threat to shoot up school circulates in Hilton, deemed a hoax

HILTON, N.Y. – The Hilton Central School District is debunking a social media threat.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says the threat is a hoax – the latest to affect the school district.

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The message going around Friday mentions shooting up a school, but does not mention Hilton.

In a message to families, the district says a high school student came forward about the threat, which was shared on Snapchat by a student at Merton Williams Middle School. It was then shared among other students and parents, causing alarm.

“Thank you to the high school student who came forward to their administrator to share the initial concern so we could quickly investigate as opposed to resharing it further,” the district’s message says.

Just after noon, Superintendent Dr. Casey Kosiorek emailed families that a middle school student saw the threat on another person’s Snapchat story. That person lives in Florida. That student then shared the message on their Snapchat.

“Thank you for your patience and thank you to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department for their help.  I like you wish that our students, families, and staff did not have to experience this,” Dr. Kosiorek writes.