RANDOLPH — The threat of a bomb forced the closure of Randolph Central School on Thursday.

According to the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office and Randolph school officials, someone called at 7 a.m. stating there was a bomb inside the school, located at 18 Main St., Randolph. The district was first put on a two-hour delay and later closed for the day.

“Even though this call was most likely not credible, it is our protocol to treat every threat as credible, which is why the school was put on delay,” the district said on its official Facebook page. “Due to the amount of time it will take to sufficiently clear the campus working in conjunction with local law enforcement, the decision has been made to close school for the day.”

The Sheriff’s Office said it asked for assistance from the Erie County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, as well as the Lakewood-Busti Police Department, New York State Police and the Chautauqua County Bomb Squad.

The school was deemed safe after a search of the property, police said.

“Safety is the number one priority of every employee of the Randolph Central School District,” Superintendent Kaine Kelly said in a statement.

“It is situations like these that remind you how important it is to continually revisit and practice proper safety procedures. We will use this situation as an educational tool for our staff to continue to refine our safety protocols.”

“I cannot express how impressed I was with the response of our staff, students and community in the face of an unfortunate situation,” he continued. “Everyone pitched in and worked together to ensure the safety of our student body. Rest assured the person or persons responsible for this threat will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

The Sheriff’s Office said its investigation into the threat is ongoing.