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# U.S. Department of Education Announces Action to Support HBCU Response to Bomb Threats

# U.S. Department of Education Announces Action to Support HBCU Response to Bomb Threats

March 16, 2022

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -        
Today, Vice President Kamala Harris and the U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that have recently experienced a bomb threat resulting in a disruption to the campus learning environment, are eligible to apply for grant funds under the Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) program.

Project SERV provides short-term immediate  funding for local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher  education (IHEs) that have experienced a violent or traumatic incident to  assist in restoring a safe environment conducive to learning.

“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 wellbeing,” said U.S.  Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “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. Today’s announcement will improve access to  Project SERV grants for HBCUs as these institutions work to address students’  mental health needs, shore up campus security, and restore learning  environments so that they can get back to doing what they do best—educating the  next generation of great leaders.”

The Department will work with HBCUs that have received recent bomb threats to determine if Project SERV can help with immediate needs, such as targeted mental health resources or enhanced security to restore the learning environment on their campuses. Funding for Project SERV is limited, and awards typically range from $50,000 to $150,000 per school.

"The bomb threats against HBCUs,  particularly concentrated in Black History Month, constitute a uniquely  traumatic event, given the history of bombings as a tactic to intimidate and  provoke fear in Black Americans during the long struggle for civil rights in  the 20th century,” said Dietra Trent, Executive Director of the  White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic  Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities. “In this  context, even the threat of bombings at HBCUs can have a deep and unsettling  impact on students, faculty, and staff that significantly disrupts the learning  environment. Our HBCUs are pillars of strength and resiliency, and we will  continue working to promote policies and practices that fortify that strength  and advance educational equity, excellence, and economic opportunity through  these institutions.”

The Biden-Harris Administration is taking  a whole-of-government approach to ensuring the safety and well-being of  students, staff and faculty, and addressing these repeated threats to HBCU  campuses. Following the first reports of the threats, Secretary Cardona  and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas hosted a briefing with more  than 40 presidents of HBCUs from across the nation to share information about  grant programs, training resources, and other tools available to HBCUs to  strengthen campus safety and security.  Biden-Harris Administration  leaders have also recently visited HBCU campuses, hearing firsthand about the  need to modernize and update their operations, including campus safety and  security, and the need for more resources to help bolster mental health  services due to increased apprehension across the campus community.

In addition to today’s announcement, the  Department will provide HBCUs with a compendium of the resources that are available  across the Federal government. These other resources can help with long-term  improvements to campus mental health programs, campus safety and emergency  management planning and response.

An HBCU that experienced a recent bomb  threat may receive more information about the opportunity for support under  Project SERV by emailing project.serv@ed.gov.
   -  Tags: SafetyProject SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence)Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)Press Releases
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