Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 19:08     Subject: Re:anyone getting call backs for DESA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We have our DESA family interview and will be asking this week. These students should not be allowed at school. Thanks for all the info. Outside of what is hopefully a small (and soon to be former?) group of students, DESQ sounds like a great fit for our DC. But we want to see strong leadership in situations like this. And leaders do not cave to parents and will get rid of kids like this from the student body.


lol. Tell me without telling me that you are coming from a majority white school.

DESA will not kick these kids out. Not a chance.


End of weekend. Sigh. I replied to the wrong post. Kid is at Deal. Older sibling is at J-R. We’ve gotten the weapons abatement emails at J-R and principal Brown seems to take things seriously. Our family has been very happy at both Deal and J-R (though we think class scheduling could be done better at J-R).


lol ok, knew it. Go ahead and tell the DESA teachers in the parent interview how they need to be more zero tolerance with expulsions. Good luck to you and your kid.
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 18:57     Subject: Re:anyone getting call backs for DESA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We have our DESA family interview and will be asking this week. These students should not be allowed at school. Thanks for all the info. Outside of what is hopefully a small (and soon to be former?) group of students, DESQ sounds like a great fit for our DC. But we want to see strong leadership in situations like this. And leaders do not cave to parents and will get rid of kids like this from the student body.


lol. Tell me without telling me that you are coming from a majority white school.

DESA will not kick these kids out. Not a chance.


End of weekend. Sigh. I replied to the wrong post. Kid is at Deal. Older sibling is at J-R. We’ve gotten the weapons abatement emails at J-R and principal Brown seems to take things seriously. Our family has been very happy at both Deal and J-R (though we think class scheduling could be done better at J-R).
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 18:52     Subject: Re:anyone getting call backs for DESA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We have our DESA family interview and will be asking this week. These students should not be allowed at school. Thanks for all the info. Outside of what is hopefully a small (and soon to be former?) group of students, DESQ sounds like a great fit for our DC. But we want to see strong leadership in situations like this. And leaders do not cave to parents and will get rid of kids like this from the student body.


lol. Tell me without telling me that you are coming from a majority white school.

DESA will not kick these kids out. Not a chance.


Maybe they won't, but they should.


Deal. With a sibling J-R.
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 18:10     Subject: anyone getting call backs for DESA?
DC has majority Black high schools across many neighborhood DCPS campuses and a few schools with larger White student populations, often selective or specialized, but none are majority White.

On average, selective schools and schools serving more advantaged families post stronger academic results than schools in lower-income areas. Graduation rates are higher for White students than for Black or Hispanic students across DCPS.

Discipline and school-based arrest data are uneven and concentrated in a subset of schools that also tend to serve higher-poverty communities. Black students are disproportionately represented in those numbers.

Rational, caring parents generally look for strong academics and a safe environment. In DC, the schools with the highest academic outcomes and lowest discipline rates also tend to enroll more White and higher-income students.

That pattern doesn't mean Black students are inherently more prone to misconduct. It reflects concentrated poverty, neighborhood conditions, selectivity, and long-standing structural inequities that shape both opportunity and outcomes.

But anyone who sends their child to a DCPS school in a predominantly Black neighborhood should expect a bad education and violence.
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 17:43     Subject: Re:anyone getting call backs for DESA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Thanks for this info. Theater applicant parent here. Gtk to ask about zero tolerance on weapons and if students were expelled. Unacceptable.


You are welcome. I almost didn’t say anything because I knew there were going to be people (as there were) who called me a liar etc. I felt that prospective parents should know this information and be fully informed, with the caveat that I wasn’t prepared to share everything until the facts came out. I hope there is more clarity from all the schools in the coming days.

-Hardy/MacArthur parent


Your signature tells us everything. Did you tell them that MacArthur kids, who get out at 3-ish, were hanging around until 5pm loitering and waiting for DESA kids at DESA?

As a DESA parent, I can say that for a small period of time, it was bad. A small group of MacArthur students were harassing and attacking any and all students at DuPont Circle and other access points away from campus after the immediate attacks at DESA.

DESA parents set up carpools to avoid public transportation until the beef settled down. There is a thread dedicated to the discussion. You are a special person to throw a turd in the punch bowl by coming into an admissions discussion to “warn” people. That was the same level of accountability MacArthur parents showed during the incident.

My child has heard nothing about a Hardy incident. Here is what I will say. Each of the schools has some kids who need to be guided in the proper direction. Blaming an entire school name on a problem between a few kids who are all complicit is reckless. As an adult, you are the problem with your anonymous gossip.

If you are a potential candidate and you are scared off by these anonymous words, DESA is probably not for you. It is one of the Crown Jewels of DCPS if you have a kid who is truly passionate about the arts. My kid is already performing at an undergraduate level in their discipline so a little drama will not stop their progress.


When there's an incident and the threat of more violence between a high school and a middle school, yes, the high school is at fault. No blame to go around.

The rumors and witness hearsay in this thread are accurate, and it's ridiculous.

No one should be allowed to continue at a selective after that kind of behavior. Give their coveted spots to kids with some basic level of control.
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 17:39     Subject: Re:anyone getting call backs for DESA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We have our DESA family interview and will be asking this week. These students should not be allowed at school. Thanks for all the info. Outside of what is hopefully a small (and soon to be former?) group of students, DESQ sounds like a great fit for our DC. But we want to see strong leadership in situations like this. And leaders do not cave to parents and will get rid of kids like this from the student body.


lol. Tell me without telling me that you are coming from a majority white school.

DESA will not kick these kids out. Not a chance.


Maybe they won't, but they should.
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 14:45     Subject: Re:anyone getting call backs for DESA?
Anonymous wrote:We have our DESA family interview and will be asking this week. These students should not be allowed at school. Thanks for all the info. Outside of what is hopefully a small (and soon to be former?) group of students, DESQ sounds like a great fit for our DC. But we want to see strong leadership in situations like this. And leaders do not cave to parents and will get rid of kids like this from the student body.


lol. Tell me without telling me that you are coming from a majority white school.

DESA will not kick these kids out. Not a chance.
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 14:08     Subject: Re:anyone getting call backs for DESA?
We have our DESA family interview and will be asking this week. These students should not be allowed at school. Thanks for all the info. Outside of what is hopefully a small (and soon to be former?) group of students, DESQ sounds like a great fit for our DC. But we want to see strong leadership in situations like this. And leaders do not cave to parents and will get rid of kids like this from the student body.
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 13:27     Subject: anyone getting call backs for DESA?
A witness told me that a DESA student threatened a Hardy student with a stun-gun on Friday.

Now, that's hearsay - and the witness may be mistaken, so take it witha grain of salt. But that would certainly explain the need for increased MPD presence tomorrow.

If true, that DESA student should face trial and jail, let alone expulsion. I'm sure they'd be super popular in lock-up.
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 09:23     Subject: anyone getting call backs for DESA?
Anonymous wrote:My Hardy student (and their friend group) heard the same thing and are also resisting going to school tomorrow. Apparently the first incident did not involve guns.

From Hardy principal:

This week, it has been reported to school administrators that physical altercations involving Hardy MS students and students who do not attend our school have occurred near our campus. Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) are investigating and we will continue to cooperate with law enforcement.

We are connecting with the families of our students involved to offer support, and ensure the appropriate disciplinary response in accordance with Chapter 25 of the DC Municipal Regulations (DCMR), as applicable. We will also continue working with students to promote restorative practices and positive conflict resolution. Additionally, to ensure the safety of our school community, Hardy has been placed on special attention, meaning there will be an increased presence of officers around our campus during arrival on Monday, March 2.


No communication from DESA principal. My DESA student heard nothing at school of this altercation (so I assume the perps are in a different department).


According to DESA students I know, the violent kids are in the Dance group? I don’t know how the groups are organized as I am unfamiliar with the school.

- parent of Hardy student who is also afraid to go to school tomorrow
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 08:55     Subject: anyone getting call backs for DESA?
My Hardy student (and their friend group) heard the same thing and are also resisting going to school tomorrow. Apparently the first incident did not involve guns.

From Hardy principal:

This week, it has been reported to school administrators that physical altercations involving Hardy MS students and students who do not attend our school have occurred near our campus. Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) are investigating and we will continue to cooperate with law enforcement.

We are connecting with the families of our students involved to offer support, and ensure the appropriate disciplinary response in accordance with Chapter 25 of the DC Municipal Regulations (DCMR), as applicable. We will also continue working with students to promote restorative practices and positive conflict resolution. Additionally, to ensure the safety of our school community, Hardy has been placed on special attention, meaning there will be an increased presence of officers around our campus during arrival on Monday, March 2.


No communication from DESA principal. My DESA student heard nothing at school of this altercation (so I assume the perps are in a different department).
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 08:43     Subject: Re:anyone getting call backs for DESA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Thanks for this info. Theater applicant parent here. Gtk to ask about zero tolerance on weapons and if students were expelled. Unacceptable.


You are welcome. I almost didn’t say anything because I knew there were going to be people (as there were) who called me a liar etc. I felt that prospective parents should know this information and be fully informed, with the caveat that I wasn’t prepared to share everything until the facts came out. I hope there is more clarity from all the schools in the coming days.

-Hardy/MacArthur parent


My hardy student is afraid to go to school on Monday because DESA kids apparently threatened to “shoot up Hardy”

I am not sure what to do, whether to keep them home or not


What did the Hardy principal and police say when this was reported? Curious to learn if it’s being taken seriously by them.
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 07:13     Subject: anyone getting call backs for DESA?
Oh and PS- there are multiple people on here confirming the same thing, so it is NOT anonymous gossip. There are millions of parent group chats going off about it as we speak and many, many concerned and scared kids at Hardy.
Anonymous
Post 03/01/2026 07:11     Subject: Re:anyone getting call backs for DESA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Thanks for this info. Theater applicant parent here. Gtk to ask about zero tolerance on weapons and if students were expelled. Unacceptable.


You are welcome. I almost didn’t say anything because I knew there were going to be people (as there were) who called me a liar etc. I felt that prospective parents should know this information and be fully informed, with the caveat that I wasn’t prepared to share everything until the facts came out. I hope there is more clarity from all the schools in the coming days.

-Hardy/MacArthur parent


Your signature tells us everything. Did you tell them that MacArthur kids, who get out at 3-ish, were hanging around until 5pm loitering and waiting for DESA kids at DESA?

As a DESA parent, I can say that for a small period of time, it was bad. A small group of MacArthur students were harassing and attacking any and all students at DuPont Circle and other access points away from campus after the immediate attacks at DESA.

DESA parents set up carpools to avoid public transportation until the beef settled down. There is a thread dedicated to the discussion. You are a special person to throw a turd in the punch bowl by coming into an admissions discussion to “warn” people. That was the same level of accountability MacArthur parents showed during the incident.

My child has heard nothing about a Hardy incident. Here is what I will say. Each of the schools has some kids who need to be guided in the proper direction. Blaming an entire school name on a problem between a few kids who are all complicit is reckless. As an adult, you are the problem with your anonymous gossip.

If you are a potential candidate and you are scared off by these anonymous words, DESA is probably not for you. It is one of the Crown Jewels of DCPS if you have a kid who is truly passionate about the arts. My kid is already performing at an undergraduate level in their discipline so a little drama will not stop their progress.


lol when did I say MacArthur was perfect? We are talking about WEAPONS. the poster right before you said their child is afraid to go to Hardy (as are mine) because they are afraid someone from DESA is going to bring a gun to school. This is NOT normal, and for you to come on here and gaslight people is evil. Parents should know about incidents like this so they can ask questions to the administration and make decisions for themselves. No one said don’t go to DESA- It seems you are really angry at all the concerned parents on here, which makes me believe this is more about your internal issues than anything else. Please go meditate.
Anonymous
Post 02/28/2026 23:15     Subject: Re:anyone getting call backs for DESA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Thanks for this info. Theater applicant parent here. Gtk to ask about zero tolerance on weapons and if students were expelled. Unacceptable.


You are welcome. I almost didn’t say anything because I knew there were going to be people (as there were) who called me a liar etc. I felt that prospective parents should know this information and be fully informed, with the caveat that I wasn’t prepared to share everything until the facts came out. I hope there is more clarity from all the schools in the coming days.

-Hardy/MacArthur parent


Your signature tells us everything. Did you tell them that MacArthur kids, who get out at 3-ish, were hanging around until 5pm loitering and waiting for DESA kids at DESA?

As a DESA parent, I can say that for a small period of time, it was bad. A small group of MacArthur students were harassing and attacking any and all students at DuPont Circle and other access points away from campus after the immediate attacks at DESA.

DESA parents set up carpools to avoid public transportation until the beef settled down. There is a thread dedicated to the discussion. You are a special person to throw a turd in the punch bowl by coming into an admissions discussion to “warn” people. That was the same level of accountability MacArthur parents showed during the incident.

My child has heard nothing about a Hardy incident. Here is what I will say. Each of the schools has some kids who need to be guided in the proper direction. Blaming an entire school name on a problem between a few kids who are all complicit is reckless. As an adult, you are the problem with your anonymous gossip.

If you are a potential candidate and you are scared off by these anonymous words, DESA is probably not for you. It is one of the Crown Jewels of DCPS if you have a kid who is truly passionate about the arts. My kid is already performing at an undergraduate level in their discipline so a little drama will not stop their progress.