Dear Ballou STAY:
At Ballou STAY we highly value and are committed to fostering a safe and secure learning environment. A large part of that commitment is communicating potential safety concerns when they arise.
Ballou STAY administration was recently alerted of an incident where violent threats were made by a student at Ballou High School. Following the security protocol for DC Public Schools, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) was alerted, officers collected a report of the incident, and have launched their proceedings.
As a result of this incident, you may notice an increased police presence at dismissal time this afternoon. This is out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of the Ballou STAY and Ballou HS communities. I also want to be clear that MPD determined that our students were not in immediate danger and there was and is not an active threat at our school.
As a school, we must take all threats seriously and approach them with extreme caution. Our building will remain on standby in response to this concern and we’ll practice our shelter-in-place procedures early next week. In addition, we are also working to make sure that communication regarding these incidents occurs promptly and families remain informed.
The safety of our students is always paramount. If you have any questions, please call the school’s main office or you may contact me via email at [email protected].