Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Dear KIPP DC Benning Campus Families:

We are writing to let you know about a safety situation that took place today at KEY Academy, the
middle school located on our campus. KEY Academy administrators received a report that a student had
a weapon on campus. The campus was placed in lockdown and later moved to alert status while we
waited for the Metropolitan Police Department to complete their investigation. The student was
immediately removed from class and staff recovered a weapon that the student had brought to school.
The student’s family and the Metropolitan Police Department were called. KEY Academy and MPD will
be conducting a full investigation and the student will not return to school until it is complete. The alert
status is now lifted and all regular campus operations have resumed.

We are grateful for the swift action of the KEY Academy team and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Their quick action ensured student safety and allowed all of us at the Benning Campus to continue our
focus on learning.

We take student safety extremely seriously. As you know, KIPP DC prohibits weapons of any kind on
campus. Bringing real or fake weapons to school is grounds for disciplinary action, including
expulsion. We encourage you to speak with your child about the importance of talking to a staff
member if they have concerns about something they have seen or heard on campus.

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Shantel Sappleton Erin Huseby Rashaand Sass

Principal Principal Principal
LEAP Academy Promise Academy KEY Academy

KIPP DC Headquarters
2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Suite 900 Washington, DC 20037
Tel: 202.223.4505 | Fax: 202.333.3266 | www.kippdc.org