{
  "id": "2025-02-20-spelman-college-cau-bomb-threat",
  "slug": "spelman-college-cau-bomb-threat-2025-02-20",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Spelman College",
    "shortName": "Spelman",
    "state": "GA",
    "type": "hbcu",
    "alertSystemName": "Spelman ALERT",
    "enrollment": 2600
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-02-20",
    "type": "bomb-threat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Shelter-in-place after a bomb threat at an adjoining campus; no device found",
    "headlinePublic": "Shelter-in-place after a bomb threat at an adjoining campus; no device found",
    "summary": "On the afternoon of February 20, 2025, a bomb threat was phoned in targeting [Clark Atlanta University's campus](https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/clark-atlanta-university-bomb-threat). Because Spelman and Clark Atlanta share an interlocking campus footprint in the [Atlanta University Center](https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/clark-atlanta-bomb-threat-shelter-in-place-lifted/85-b9de6fc1-c89f-48eb-9d7c-afc99cba3069), Spelman activated its Spelman ALERT system at 4:30 PM EST directing students on the CAU side of campus to shelter in place. Atlanta Police, including bomb-robot units, swept Wright Hall and the surrounding 223 James P. Brawley Drive SW area before issuing an all-clear. The incident was the second Black History Month bomb threat to hit the AUC since the [2022 nationwide HBCU bomb-threat wave](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/howard-spelman-hbcu-campuses-targeted-bomb-threats-rcna11136).",
    "outcome": "No device found. Two bomb robots investigated a suspicious package; nothing dangerous was identified. Shelter-in-place lifted by morning of February 21, 2025. No arrests publicly announced.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2025-02-20T16:30:00-05:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Spelman ALERT: Bomb Threat on the CAU campus. Students on CAU's Campus should shelter in place. All others should stay clear of CAU campus until further notice.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.spelman.edu/alerts/alerts/2025/02/0220225-cau-bomb-threat.html",
      "sourceDescription": "Spelman College Alert Archive (spelman.edu/alerts)",
      "annotations": [
        "Exact wording confirmed against Spelman's official alert archive page dated 2025-02-20",
        "Spelman's alert was issued for a threat to a neighboring institution, illustrative of how the AUC consortium triggers cross-campus shelter orders when any one school is targeted",
        "Posted at 4:30 PM EST and last updated February 21, 2025 at 6:57 AM EST, suggesting the alert stayed active overnight for off-hours travelers"
      ],
      "characterCount": 160
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Morning of February 21, 2025 (approximately 6:57 AM EST per archive timestamp)",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Spelman ALERT:\n\nThe shelter-in-place has been lifted.\n\nEveryone is reminded to stay vigilant at all times. If you observe anything suspicious, please report it to public safety right away.\n\nRemember if you See Something, Say Something.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.spelman.edu/alerts/alerts/2025/02/0220225-cau-all-clear.html",
      "sourceDescription": "Spelman College official alerts archive (verbatim CAU all clear)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text confirmed from Spelman College's official alert archive page titled 'SPELMAN ALERT: CAU Campus - ALL CLEAR (2-20-2025)', last updated February 21, 2025 at 6:57 AM EST",
        "The all-clear came roughly 14 hours after the initial shelter alert, indicating the bomb-robot sweep, K-9 sweep, or police investigation extended well into the night",
        "All-clear was issued on Friday, February 21, 2025, allowing classes to resume on the regular Friday schedule",
        "The generic 'See Something, Say Something' closer is consistent with Spelman's post-incident messaging pattern observed in other archive pages",
        "Because this Spelman-issued message addressed the Clark Atlanta University campus situation, the same text also appears in this archive's companion Clark Atlanta University case for the February 20, 2025 threat"
      ],
      "characterCount": 235
    }
  ],
  "context": "On the afternoon of Thursday, February 20, 2025, Atlanta Police were dispatched to [Wright Hall at Clark Atlanta University around 4:40 PM EST](https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/02/20/police-investigating-possible-bomb-threat-clark-atlanta-university/) in response to a phoned-in bomb threat. Because the [Atlanta University Center campuses interlock](https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/clark-atlanta-bomb-threat-shelter-in-place-lifted/85-b9de6fc1-c89f-48eb-9d7c-afc99cba3069) (Spelman, Morehouse and Clark Atlanta share streets, sidewalks, dining halls and library facilities) Spelman College's emergency management team issued a shelter-in-place alert directing Spelman students on the CAU side of campus to lock down and instructing everyone else to avoid CAU buildings. Two [bomb robots investigated a suspicious package](https://www.yahoo.com/news/bomb-threat-clark-atlanta-university-222946779.html) at 223 James P. Brawley Drive SW. Nothing dangerous was found. The all-clear came overnight; the Spelman alert archive shows the entry last updated at 6:57 AM EST on Friday, February 21, 2025. The February 20 threat was the [second bomb threat to hit the AUC during Black History Month](https://saportareport.com/spelman-receives-third-bomb-threat-second-during-black-history-month/sections/reports/allison/) since the [February 2022 wave that hit 18 HBCUs in a single day](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/howard-spelman-hbcu-campuses-targeted-bomb-threats-rcna11136), a pattern the FBI identified in 2022 as racially motivated. The February 2025 threat preceded by seven months the [September 11, 2025 multi-HBCU lockdown wave](https://theatlantavoice.com/lockdown-hbcu-campuses-threats/) that hit Spelman and other HBCUs again. Spelman's shelter alert was distinct from Clark Atlanta's own, it was issued by Spelman's emergency management to its students, even though the targeted building was on a sister campus.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "This is a textbook example of how the Atlanta University Center's interlocking geography forces neighboring HBCUs to issue parallel alerts when only one campus is targeted; Spelman students were sheltered because of a threat to Clark Atlanta",
    "The February 2025 incident is the second Black History Month bomb threat against the AUC since the 2022 nationwide HBCU wave, suggesting the pattern of February-timed threats remains a recurring concern even years after the FBI identified racially motivated juveniles behind the 2022 calls",
    "Spelman's archived alert text is verbatim, a useful comparison case for incidents where reconstructed wording is the best available because official archive pages have lapsed"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Spelman ALERT: CAU Campus Bomb Threat Reported (2-20-2025) (Spelman College Alert Archive)",
      "url": "https://www.spelman.edu/alerts/alerts/2025/02/0220225-cau-bomb-threat.html",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Spelman ALERT: CAU Campus — ALL CLEAR (2-20-2025) (Spelman College Alert Archive)",
      "url": "https://www.spelman.edu/alerts/alerts/2025/02/0220225-cau-all-clear.html",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Shelter-in-place lifted at Clark Atlanta University after earlier bomb threat (11Alive)",
      "url": "https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/clark-atlanta-bomb-threat-shelter-in-place-lifted/85-b9de6fc1-c89f-48eb-9d7c-afc99cba3069",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Bomb threat at Clark Atlanta University briefly places campus on lockdown (FOX 5 Atlanta)",
      "url": "https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/clark-atlanta-university-bomb-threat",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Police give all-clear after investigating possible bomb threat at Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta News First)",
      "url": "https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/02/20/police-investigating-possible-bomb-threat-clark-atlanta-university/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Spelman receives third bomb threat, second during Black History Month (SaportaReport)",
      "url": "https://saportareport.com/spelman-receives-third-bomb-threat-second-during-black-history-month/sections/reports/allison/",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "bomb-threat",
    "hbcu",
    "atlanta-university-center",
    "shelter-in-place",
    "georgia",
    "black-history-month",
    "spelman-college",
    "cross-campus-alert",
    "verbatim-confirmed"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-14",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}