January 22, 2026
FROM ADDISON CENTRAL SCHOOL:
Families– This message is to make you aware of an issue at the Middle/High School last night.
At approximately 6:45 pm last night, the district was notified by our cleaning staff that a threatening message was discovered in the high school portion of the building. The Steuben County Sheriff’s Department was contacted and they sent personnel including deputies, dog handlers and an investigator to the Middle/High School. The Sheriff’s Department examined the message and swept the building, but nothing further of concern was found and we were cleared to proceed with school today. The administrative team reviewed video to identify all possible persons who may have created or seen the message and began investigating the matter in collaboration with law enforcement first thing this morning. Further, Sheriff’s Deputies were on site for morning arrival today as a precautionary measure.
While nothing of further concern was found last night and the threatening statement is not believed to be credible, out of an abundance of caution, staff at the Middle/High School were asked to be extra diligent in their observation of students and surroundings, as well as to immediately report anything suspicious or out of the ordinary.
The safety of our students and staff is of the utmost importance. If you become aware of any information regarding this matter, please report it to your child’s building administrator as soon as possible. Thank you.
Finally, thank you to our amazing facilities team members for their diligence in noticing and immediately reporting the threatening statement, as well as to the Steuben County Sheriff’s Department for their collaboration and support with this matter.
Jim
Mr. James Peiffer
Superintendent of Schools
Addison CSD
7 Cleveland Dr.
Suite 101
Addison, NY 14801
UPDATE – POST FROM 3:14pm:
3:14pm, 1/22/26
ACS Families and Community –
The safety of students and staff is of the utmost importance. As Superintendent, I directly collaborated with the Sheriff’s Department on site last night to determine that the building was, in fact, safe for school today. I did not leave campus until this was clearly established and we would not have held school today if we were not confident that this was the case.
Following the events of last night, our administrative team, along with our Deans, SRO, the Sheriff’s Department and I continued to work throughout the day to identify the source of the threatening message that was discovered by our facilities team, meeting with dozens of students to gather as much information as possible. While we have not yet identified the person responsible, we believe we have been able to narrow the timeframe in which the message was created and will continue to work diligently, along with our law enforcement partners, to identify the responsible individual and address these actions accordingly. Additionally, we are reviewing several internal monitoring procedures, as well as our communication protocols when concerning circumstances arise.
Again, should you learn of anything that may be helpful to us regarding this matter, please contact your child’s building principal as soon as possible.
We know that situations such as this are a cause of stress for our students, families, staff and community. Please be assured that every decision made as we work through such challenging scenarios is considered carefully and carried out with the best of intentions regarding the safety of students and staff.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support of our schools, staff, and ultimately your children.
Sincerely,
Jim Peiffer, Superintendent of Schools
