(NationalUSNews.com) — The deadly school shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan on November 30, 2021, has already caused some significant changes in the justice system, with the conviction of the shooter’s parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, of involuntary manslaughter in February and March of this year. However, the parents of the four students who were murdered that day by 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley say that their quest for justice and “true accountability” is far from over.
The four families have formed a group called “The Families for Change,” and they are seeking an investigation into the responses of the Oxford Community Schools and the Oxford School District, even asking for subpoena power to force cooperation in the investigation. They are also pushing for the immediate removal of any board members who were leading the district at the time of the shooting. They also want changes to governmental immunity laws that prevent independent review after mass shootings and protect schools from being sued.
During the trials, many details came to light indicating possible negligence at many crucial points leading up to, and during, the murders. While the Crumbleys have been held culpable for their decision to not remove Ethan Crumbley from school that day after the meeting with school counselor Shawn Hopkins, Hopkins also ultimately agreed that Ethan should be allowed to stay. The Dean of Students, Nicholas Ejak, testified that he had picked up Ethan’s backpack and noted how heavy it was, but didn’t think to search for it. Security guard Kimberly Potts came across a dead student during the incident, just assumed it was part of a drill, and did not investigate further or notify police.
Families for Change said in a public statement on Monday, March 18, that they will not stop until real changes are made to ensure that other families will not have to experience the pain and loss that they have. Steve St. Juliana, father of 14-year-old Hana, who was killed in the school shooting, suggested that the school’s attitude that they did nothing wrong flies in the face of reality. He believes they did everything wrong, and those mistakes should be used to make changes to the law that, in the future, could be used to allow school officials to be criminally charged in situations like this.
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