Two elementary schools were evacuated, and a middle school was closed Friday morning in the Ohio city of Springfield − the target of false election-year rumors about Haitian migrants − "based on information received from the Springfield Police Division," school officials said.
Springfield, located north of Dayton, vaulted to national prominence after former President Donald Trump announced during Tuesday's presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris that, "In Springfield they are eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there."
The claim has led to threatening calls and bomb threats.
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Perrin Woods Elementary School and Snowhill Elementary School students were evacuated from their buildings Friday morning and moved to an "alternate district location," according to a school district news release. The district is currently dismissing students to their parents.
Additionally, Roosevelt Middle School was closed before the start of the school day related to the same information provided by Springfield police.
More on Springfield: No, Haitian migrants aren’t ‘decapitating ducks’ in Springfield, Ohio | Fact check
There are no other threats to Springfield City School District buildings, school officials said in the release. Officials have not specified what information the Springfield Police Division shared with the district
Friday marks the second day in a row that Springfield public school students were evacuated after the city gained national attention for unfounded right-wing rumors about the community's Haitian immigrant population.
More: Election survival guide: How to respond to a loved one's conspiracy theories
On Thursday, Springfield City Hall and Fulton Elementary School were evacuated after bomb threats were sent to multiple city facilities, officials said. Every Clark County building was also closed Thursday out of "an abundance of caution," county officials said.
Thursday's evacuation of Fulton Elementary School was based on information received from the state fire marshal, school officials said.
More: As Ohio town hit with bomb threats, Trump keeps posting lies about migrants eating pets
A copy of Thursday's bomb threat acquired by the USA Today Network disparaged Springfield's Haitian community and referenced false claims, spread by prominent conservative figures like former president Donald Trump, that immigrants were eating pets and wildlife.
The author of Thursday's bomb threat said they had planted bombs in Springfield City Hall, Springfield Driver Exam Station, Ohio License Bureau Southside, Springfield Academy of Excellence and Fulton Elementary School.
Nathan Hart is a reporter at the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Schools evacuated in Springfield, Ohio, after false Trump debate pet-eating claim
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