After only two days since the official start of the school year, the police have already been called to Southeast D.C.’s Ballou Senior High School. WUSA reports that a fight broke out in the school’s cafeteria on Tuesday. No one was seriously injured, but the incident resulted in five arrests.
It’s just the latest problem for one of D.C.’s most chaotic schools. Back in 2003, you’ll remember that Ballou was closed for more than a month after a mercury spill occurred in the school’s halls. In 2004 a fatal shooting occurred at Ballou after a disagreement between two students.
More recently the school has been the subject of an upbeat documentary about its award-winning marching band. The film features interviews with the likes of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Chuck Brown, Colin Powell, Marion Barry and other notable people, and holds up the success of the marching band as an example of Ballou students who are overcoming the odds at their troubled school. The trailer for the film, titled Ballou, is above — it’s expected to make its world premiere at a to-be-announced film festival in the next year. Here’s hoping this cafeteria melee doesn’t derail any of that that momentum.
Tom Lee contributed to this post.