Six Jackson County schools received bomb threats early Friday morning, forcing the district to cancel classes for the day while law enforcement searched the affected campuses.

According to Jackson County officials, the threats were delivered through voicemail and appeared to come from an AI-generated robocall. All six schools that received the threats are part of the West Jackson cluster.

The first threat was discovered between 4:30 and 4:45 a.m. when a Gum Springs Elementary School employee received a voicemail containing the threat and immediately notified school and public safety officials.

The Jackson County School System's technology department then checked other schools and discovered that five additional campuses had received similar messages.

Law enforcement agencies from across Jackson County and surrounding communities responded to the affected schools. Bomb-detection dogs were used to search the campuses, and all six schools were cleared in less than five hours.

Jackson County Sheriff Kevin McCook said the calls appeared to be AI-generated, although investigators are still working to determine their origin. The sheriff's office is working with state and federal agencies as part of the investigation.

The Jackson County threats also appeared similar to a voicemail threat received Friday at Cherokee Bluff High School in Hall County. Officials there also indicated that the message appeared to be AI-generated and potentially originated internationally.

Jackson County school officials initially hoped students could return to a delayed schedule once the campuses were cleared. However, Superintendent Philip Brown said there was not enough time remaining in the school day to safely bring students to school and provide meals, leading the district to cancel classes.

Brown expressed frustration over the disruption, noting that students, teachers and administrators had expected to have a normal school day and that the closure created unexpected challenges for families.

Despite the disruption, officials praised the coordinated response from law enforcement, school personnel and neighboring agencies that allowed all six campuses to be searched and cleared before noon.

The investigation into the source of the threats remains ongoing.