Atlanta HBCUs Receive Bomb Threat Response Training From Federal Experts

While the training was centered on Atlanta-based officials and HBCUs, it was “open to school administrators and law enforcement from dozens of schools across the country.”

This training comes after HBCUs all over the country were hit with a wave of bomb threats, as Blavity previously reported. The threats started right around Black History Month, and several institutions, including Howard, Delaware State, Spelman and Jackson State, received unsubstantiated threats. The threats continued throughout February and beyond, as Morehouse received a threat just last week.

The FBI recently identified 6 juvenile suspects in the racially motivated matter, and the Department of Education also freshly announced a federal grant program to help support impacted HBCUs.

“The recent bomb threats experienced by HBCUs have shaken students and fractured their sense of safety and belonging, which are critical to their academic success and well-being,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said. “We, at the Department of Education, recognize how these threats evoke a painful history of violence against Black Americans in this country that is especially traumatizing to HBCU students, faculty and staff.”