ERIC Number: ED623694
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Developing a Bomb Threat Annex: Enhancing the Higher Ed Emergency Operations Plan. Fact Sheet
Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center (REMS)
Our nation's postsecondary institutions are entrusted to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for the students, faculty, and staff who live, work, and study on campus. Planning for emergencies may be challenging for institutions of higher education (IHEs) because of geography, environment, governance, around-the clock-operations, and the multiage population served. While the risk and vulnerability for certain types of threats and hazards may be driven by location and other factors, some threat and hazard types, including bomb threats, can universally impact all IHEs. However, in 2022, there was an unprecedented spike in bomb threats targeted at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In the first 3 months of 2022, more than one-third of our country's HBCUs received bomb threats. As a result of these threats, learning was disrupted and critical resources were diverted to emergency response, adding to the burden already placed on overwhelmed campus mental health systems. Considering this rise in bomb threats and the high number of those bomb threats disproportionately targeting HBCUs, additional resources, strategies, and planning are needed to maintain the safety and security of all students, faculty, and staff, regardless of the institution type. This fact sheet outlines how IHE core planning teams can plan for potential bomb threats through the creation and modification of a higher education emergency operations plan (EOP) that addresses the threat in a Bomb Threat Annex.
Descriptors: School Safety, School Security, Emergency Programs, Violence, Weapons, Campuses, Higher Education, Universities, Black Colleges, Planning, Program Implementation, Risk Assessment
REMS TA Center. 8757 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Tel: 855-781-7367; e-mail: info@remstacenter.org; Website: https://rems.ed.gov/
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A