Oxford Students Sue School District Demanding Transparency From Investigations

OXFORD, MI — A group of Oxford High School students and their parents filed a federal lawsuit against the school district Friday, arguing their constitutional rights to safety and education were violated in the deadly Oxford school shooting.

The group, Change4Oxford, said school officials created dangerous conditions for students inside the high school when they failed to recognize a threat posed from a 15-year-old sophomore, who authorities said fatally shot four students and wounded seven other people on Nov. 30.

Although none of the students who filed the lawsuit was injured in the shooting, "they have suffered irreparable harm," the lawsuit said.

"Every day since the tragedy that took place on Nov. 30, 2021, students at Oxford High School, including Plaintiffs, have entered through the school doors assuming they will have to defend themselves should another violent attack ensue," the lawsuit said.

However, the students are not suing for money but instead a court order to force school officials to make policy changes within the district, ensuring safety and security before the next school year in the fall.

The group also demanded a "fully transparent and independent third-party investigation of the actions and events leading up to the shooting" and what it says is an end to the "practice of concealing and minimizing threats of violence."

(Patch reached out to Oxford Community District Superintendent Ken Weaver and will update this story if he responds to comment.)

Oxford school officials took heat when they rejected a free independent investigation by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office into the events leading up to the deadly shooting. Instead, school officials opted for a private review from two independent law firms.

The lawsuit also asks the district to stop returning students to class when they pose a risk of harm to themselves or others.

Authorities said that on the morning of the deadly shooting, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley was summoned to the counselor's office with his parents after a teacher found a drawing of a handgun and the words: "The thoughts won’t stop. Help me."

The student's parents refused to take him home after the 13-minute meeting, authorities said, and school officials allowed him to return back to class.

Shortly later, authorities said, he opened fire in the school.

"Given the fact that the child had no prior disciplinary infractions, the decision was made he would be returned to the classroom rather than sent home to an empty house," then-Superintendent Tim Throne said regarding the meeting.

Alicia Feltz, a parent of a student in the lawsuit, said at a news conference last week that suing the school district was an effort to get their voices heard by education officials.

"With the lack of investigation, there's a lack of transparency," Feltz said. "With the lack of transparency, there's a lack of accountability. If there's no accountability, trust cannot be rebuilt."