ATLANTA—An Atlanta area school district suspended all marching bands starting Dec. 14, while investigating incidents of inappropriate activity in school band programs. The DeKalb County School District acted after the November death of Florida A&M University (FAMU) drum major Robert Champion, who attended Southwest DeKalb High School.
Hazing by fellow FAMU’s marching 100 band members is suspected in Champion’s death, which occurred during a band road trip to Orlando, Fla. Southwest DeKalb has close links to FAMU. In addition to Champion, Bria Shante Hunter, a clarinetist who reported a severe hazing incident at FAMU, also attended the high school.
Hunter, who now lives in Georgia, visited a hospital days after three of her fellow band members beat her in October, where she learned that her thigh was broken and her leg had multiple blood clots. Of her accused assailants, two were graduates of Southwest DeKalb, with a third from another DeKalb county school.
Officials are investigating whether a culture of violent hazing followed the victims from DeKalb County to Florida.
Don Roberts, band director at Southwest DeKalb, was a drum major at FAMU, and served as an adviser for the movie “Drumline,” which includes a mild hazing subplot. His Southwest DeKalb Panthers marching band performed in the Atlanta Olympics, and has won many accolades.
Marching bands and music education in DeKalb County are a tremendous source of pride, and shutting down the program is unprecedented.
According to Tallahassee, Fla. police, Hunter’s three assailants—who have been arrested—were initiating her into the “Red Dawg Order,” a subgroup of the FAMU band for people from Georgia.
DeKalb school officials were concerned that band participants may be at risk, and began to investigate and suspend band programs.
“We have documented evidence of inappropriate activity that took place over the summer,” system spokesman Walter Woods told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution (AJC). He told the paper that the investigation is expected to take two months.
As part of a new administration, Dr. Cheryl Atkinson began officially serving as DeKalb County School District superintendent on Sept. 15. replacing a predecessor who, with another high-ranking school official, were indicted for racketeering.
According to the AJC, activities being investigated by Woods and the school district apparently were not reported to police by the previous administration, although no injuries were reported in the incidents.
The email announcement sent by the district announcing the shutdown of band activities was straight to the point. Kendra March, deputy superintendent, School Leadership and Operational Support, sent a memo to principals and band directors which said, “ALL Marching Band activities must cease and desist, pending further investigation regarding possible inappropriate activity involving band directors, advisors, volunteers and band students.”
March said all band directors and principals must attend a meeting to be scheduled after the Christmas break. Music classes will be taught as usual during school hours, but any performances must receive permission to go ahead.
All band performances are suspended with one exception. DeKalb school bands set to march in the annual Martin Luther King Day parade through downtown Atlanta will still be allowed to perform.
