1/21/26: Letter from Superintendent Cimato

January 21, 2026

Dear Ken-Ton Community,

Earlier today, school district superintendents throughout Western New York received a concerning email which included a threat at an unspecified high school building. Many of these emails were directed into spam folders because of the suspiciousness of the domain the email originated from.

Any time a report like this is received, school district staff and law enforcement agencies always respond as if it is a real and credible threat. Upon receiving the email, we immediately engaged law enforcement in collaboration with FBI Buffalo and our cybersecurity partners at the Western New York Regional Information Center. Out of an abundance of caution, police officers with bomb-sniffing dogs were dispatched to all three high school buildings which were found to be clear and there was no indication of a security or safety risk. Other precautions were taken as well including placing all schools under a secure lock-out for a time this morning.

All statements or actions that suggest a threat to the safety and security of our schools are taken extremely seriously, no matter how remote. This message bore a strong resemblance to hoaxes which have been circulating throughout the nation. These incidents have become more commonplace and have caused significant undue alarm and disruption in communities throughout the country.

The safety of all students and staff is our district’s highest priority and we recognize the need to be transparent regarding incidents that may impact our school community. As always, students and families should always remember the ways they can help keep our community safe such as:

• If you see something, say something.
• Immediately report any concern to a school administrator or staff member. If you cannot, another option is the Say Something Anonymous Tip Line.
• If a safety concern arises after hours, students and families should immediately contact the Town of Tonawanda and/or Kenmore Police Departments.

Sincerely,

Sabatino Cimato
Superintendent of Schools