Earlier in the school year, Oxford was randomly selected by the State of Michigan to go through a compliance audit. The audit made sure the district was on par with some of the state’s civil rights requirements in its buildings and policies.

At the March 13 board of education meeting, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources David Pass told the board that Oxford did well, with only a few spots in need of improvement.

The Oxford High School parking lot was exempt from the audit because it is scheduled to be redone this summer, at which time it is planned to fall in line with state guidelines.

“A lot of them were pretty simple things from paper towel holders being too high, soap dispensers at the wrong height or having wheelchair-accessible sinks that have pipe coverings,” Pass said.

The areas the state identified as in need of improvement mainly stem from things like soap and paper towel dispensers being too high at OHS for students and staff using a wheelchair.

The district also needs to openly inform students that they will not be discriminated against based on things like race or gender when it comes to participation in things like after-school activities, sports and technical education.

The district plans to start tackling these issues in April or May, and Pass expects the cost to be minimal.

Though the areas in need of change are relatively small, Trustee Mary Hanser encouraged Pass and other district officials to not waste any time in making those improvements.

“These things really are important and I think it’s important that we do take care of them as soon as we can because for people who can’t reach the paper towels or who can’t reach the lock, it’s really important that we can offer them a building that they can use,” she said.

The board of education is scheduled to meet again on March 26 at Daniel Axford Elementary. Meetings start at 6:30 p.m.