SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Bomb threats forced the evacuation and closure of public schools and city buildings for the second straight day Friday, as the city continues to grapple with sudden national attention due to false claims about its Haitian population.

Students at Perrin Woods and Snowhill elementary schools in Springfield “were evacuated from their buildings to another location in the district,” school district spokeswoman Jenna Leinasars said.

Roosevelt Middle School was closed “prior to the start of the school day” “based on information received from Springfield Police,” Leinasars added.

In addition to the school evacuations, several city councilors and a municipal employee were the target of an emailed bomb threat, city spokeswoman Karen Graves said.

A second email threatened several locations, including Springfield City Hall, Cliff Park High School, Perrin Woods Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Ohio License Bureau Southside, Graves added.

“As a precautionary measure, all affected buildings have been evacuated. Authorities, assisted by bomb-sniffing dogs, have conducted thorough inspections and cleared the facilities listed in the threats,” Graves said in a statement.

Local police and FBI agents based in Dayton are working to “determine the origin of these email threats,” the city official said.

The city west of Columbus has been at the center of a national political firestorm over false rumors that Haitian immigrants are stealing and eating pets. City officials and police said there is no credible information to support the outlandish claims.

Former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance made these false claims as part of a broader effort to use Springfield as an example of what they believe are the harmful consequences of immigration.

Vance also said there had been a “massive increase in infectious diseases” in Springfield, but Clark County Health District Commissioner Chris Cook said Friday that was not the case.

“Overall, we have not seen a significant increase in all reportable communicable diseases,” Cook said. “If you look at all reportable communicable diseases combined (minus COVID) for the year through 2023, you will see that we have the lowest rate in Clark County since 2016.”

A representative for Vance was not immediately available for comment.

Alicia Victoria Lozano reported from Springfield, Ohio, and David K. Li reported from New York City.

This is a developing story, please check back later for updates.