Recations to Nov. 28 press conference

By Don Rush

On Nov. 28 former Oxford School Board members Tom Donnelly and Korey Bailey stepped up before the media and spoke out about the district’s handling of the Nov. 30, 2021 high school shooting. In particular both said the district did not follow its own policies on handling threat assessment – Board Policy 8400.

Both Donnelly and Bailey resigned their seats on the board this past September.

At the Nov. 28 press conference, the former board treasurer said, “This board had been told over and over that the school had all the policies in place and that the team did everything right, but a bad thing still happened. They told us everything was in place. This could not be further from the truth . . . Had we been trained on threat assessment, I believe the threat would have ended on Nov. 29^th and Nov. 30 would just be another day in Oxford.”

He said even though Oxford Community Schools has had a threats assessment policy since 2004, there is no playbook, no guidelines, training or drills employed by the district to prevent such a tragedy as what happened on Nov. 30, when four students, Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana and Justin Schilling were killed, six others injured as well as a teacher shot and injured by a schoolmate, then 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley.

Donnelly, who was school board president when he resigned said, had the district followed its own policies with a trained threats assessment team, they would have seen “markers” Crumbley displayed and then taken measures that could have prevented the tragedy.

According to Board Policy 8400, some of the markers, or warning signs inlcude: Expression of violence in writings and drawings; Uncontrolled anger; Inappropriate access to, possession of, and use of firearms; Threats of violence; Serious physical fighting with peers or family members; Severe destruction of property; Severe rage for seemingly minor reasons; Detailed threats of lethal violence; and Other self-injurious behaviors or threats of suicide.

The policy also requires “immediate intervention by school authorities and law enforcement when a student has presented a detailed plan to harm or kill others or if a student is carrying a weapon and has threatened to use it.”

The guidelines also require that parents be informed in situations where students present other threatening behaviors; Coordinate services with the school, law enforcement, mental health agencies; Inform parents when early warning signs are observed; Provide District staff with the capacity to intervene and respond to warning signs; Make interventions as early as possible; Use sustained, multiple, coordinated interventions; and Build upon and coordinate internal school resources.

The policy also outlines who should be a part of the threats assessment team. “The threat assessment team includes: The principal, school counselor, school psychologist, instructional personnel, and School Resource Officer. The threat assessment team may also include others, such as a third-party mental health provider or family school liaison.”

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Reaction to the Nov. 28 press conference came from different sources. The school district released this statement from the school board, “At Oxford Community Schools the safety of our students and staff has remained our number one priority. The third-party review of the events leading up to, during and following November 30, 2021, as reported at our last board meeting, has since seen increased participation of key stakeholders. The review will help us all understand the facts and have the transparency and accountability we all deserve. We ask the public to allow this important review process to take place so the facts can be brought to light in a clear, accurate, and impartial manner . . . We encourage everyone in our community and beyond to let LOVE win this week and always. We have compiled a list on our website that is being continuously updated with activities and resources available to you, so you may spend Wildcat Remembrance Day in a way that works best for you and your loved ones – to heal, reflect, mourn, and most of all, to love. #OxfordStrong.”

The following statement was attributed to the district’s law firm of Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton, “We are aware of the allegations made by former Oxford Community School Board members during today’s press conference. Mr. Donnelly is correct in acknowledging that the District had appropriate safety policies in place since 2004. He also confirmed that multiple staff members received threat assessment training before the November 30 tragedy. Many of the former Board members’ allegations show a misunderstanding of the facts. The details regarding the training and use of threat assessment procedures in advance of the November 30 tragedy will be discussed at length by members of the staff who implemented the policies prior to November 30, 2021. As in previous depositions, the District will fully disclose all relevant facts and procedures in the forthcoming legal proceedings.”

This week, attorney Tim Mullins confirmed, “These details will be discussed in the nine depositions that are scheduled to occur over the next three weeks.”

On Nov 28 after the former board members spoke, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel made three tweets about Oxford.

“Three times the Michigan Department of Attorney General offered to conduct a comprehensive review of the events which transpired before, during and after the Oxford shooting. Three times the Oxford School Board declined. This news is hardly a surprise.”

“Our intent was not to cast blame on the school administrators and staff, but merely to discover what had occurred so that we could help understand how to prevent future school shootings and make recommendations which could be applied statewide.”

“My department and I will be working with the new legislature to explore changes in the law which would grant authority to the Michigan Department of Attorney General to investigate school districts where evidence suggests students were not properly protected from these tragedies.”