As Jackson County students prepare to return to classes Monday following threats Friday that also targeted a Hall County school, authorities increasingly believe the online threats may have been AI-generated and originated overseas. Some describe them as part of a growing national trend of hoax threats and “swatting” incidents targeting schools.

Jackson County schools were evacuated and closed Friday after bomb threats were sent electronically, prompting searches of several campuses. Cherokee Bluff High School in Hall County also received such a threat but after the all-clear was sounded classes resumed. Investigators are now tracing the source of the messages and examining whether they came from international actors who have been linked to similar disruptions nationwide.

Several school systems and a university have received emailed or phoned‑in threats recently. State and federal agencies say the wave of hoaxes appears tied to online groups that specialize in spreading fear and chaos from outside the country.

(onlineathens.com, the AJC, and the Georgia Sun contributed to this story.)