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The incident happened on Thursday, Oct. 13 just before 12:30 p.m., when a drone was seen flying near Hawthorne Elementary School, Mount Pleasant Central School District Superintendent Peter Giarrizzo announced.
The sighting prompted district officials to immediately contact Mount Pleasant Police, which advised that there was no need to initiate emergency protocols as there was no threat to the safety of students and staff, according to Giarrizzo.
"We will continue to work with the Mt. Pleasant Police Department and our building level safety teams to ensure the safety of all of our students and staff," Giarrizzo said in a statement on Thursday evening.
The scare came just before the district heightened security in and around its schools on Friday, Oct. 13 as a precautionary measure in response to the violence unfolding in Israel.
"Although there are currently no active, credible threats to New York State, there is an increasing concern that individuals and groups, particularly those ascribing to violent extremist ideologies, may attempt to exploit the current situation to further their agendas," read a statement sent to the district by the state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Domestic Terrorism Prevention Unit.
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