Law enforcement is responding in full force to an unspecified threat at Stonehill College.

A private Roman Catholic liberal arts school in Easton, Mass., Stonehill cancelled classes Friday and encouraged students, faculty, and the general public to avoid the campus while police conduct their investigation. The school said police from the state, town, and campus departments are searching the school in response to the threat.

"Out of an abundance of caution, Stonehill College has canceled all classes and activities for the day as State, Easton and Stonehill police search the campus in response to a threat," read the school's statement. "Students and staff have been advised of the threat and ongoing search and have been given the option to leave campus or remain in residence halls. We hope and expect that the search will be concluded by later today and campus life will return to its regular schedule this weekend.

"We request that members of the media refrain from coming on campus so the investigation can go forward unimpeded."

Dave Procopio, a spokesman for the Mass. State Police, told CBS's local affiliate that officers are utilizing bomb-sniffing dogs. He also said Stonehill received a strange package with nothing in it on Thursday, in addition to a note discovered Friday referencing "some sort of threat."

However, neither law enforcement nor the school disclosed the specific nature of the threat.

Easton Public Schools said Moreau Hall Elementary School were also evacuated in relation to the threat, WCVB reported.

Though Stonehill allowed students to remain on campus if they wanted, they were asked to leave their residence halls and wait at the sports complex while police conduct the search.