Two Oxford parents frustrated by delay with independent report about shooting

An in-depth report on security across Oxford Community Schools did not restore trust or confidence in two parents who spoke publicly about the document on Thursday and called for the Michigan district to be more transparent with the public.

Andrea Jones and Lori Bourgeau, both parents of children in the Oxford school district, held a Thursday Zoom press conference to discuss the 179-page Guidepost Solutions report released Monday that revealed that threat assessment teams only inquired about access to firearms involving troubled students half of the time after the 2021 mass shooting at the high school.

Both Jones and Bourgeau expressed frustration that the community was getting a report on current security measures in the district before it received an independent investigative report from Guidepost on what happened on Nov. 30, 2021 — as well as the days leading up to and the days after — when a student gunman killed three students and injured seven other people.

"How can you know what to fix if you don’t know what's broken? We feel it's all broken. Changes are great but are the right ones in place yet?" Bourgeau said. "The second report is delayed. I'm worried it's never going to come out."

Guidepost officials are preparing a second report into the actual attack. It is expected to address interactions with the shooter before the shooting; and actions taken by school officials before, during and after the shooting. No time for its release has been set.

While Guidepost found the district has robust security policies in many areas that surpass most schools, the security consulting firm called for the Oakland County district to make more than 50 recommended changes to address lingering security concerns. The outfit also documented an incident where a contracted security guard left a folding knife unattended at the high school.

The recent report made it clear that the district still needs to hire responsible people who can be trained and who have the experience to make empowered choices for students, Bourgeau said.

"Everyone in these buildings should be someone out children can count on," Bourgeau said.

Both parents are among a group called Change4Oxford that is suing Oxford Community Schools over the deadly shooting.

The release of the Guidpost report came 102 days after the security firm announced it had encountered "extraordinary" interference in its investigation into the attack and security practices. That complaint came months after educators and administrators at Oxford Community Schools were advised not to participate in interviews with Guidepost's investigation.

School officials said Tuesday they would review the findings and recommendations “very carefully."

“We are going to be taking a very close look at it,” Vickie Markavitch, the district's superintendent, told the board of education during its regular Tuesday meeting. “It’s a dense report. It’s full of information. It’s got a lot to think about and many, many recommendations.”

In June 2022, the group announced it was filing a federal lawsuit against the school district on behalf of 20 students to force it to make changes in security following the Nov. 30 mass shooting at Oxford High School. Five months later, it said it planned to expand the suit into a class-action complaint to include every child in the 5,700-student district.

The suit does not seek monetary damages but is asking for a federal order to require Oxford Community Schools to enforce and update its safety procedures and protocols.

Ethan Crumbley, 16, pleaded guilty on Oct. 24, 2022, to killing four classmates ― Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, and Justin Shilling ― and injuring a teacher and six other students at Oxford High School in the Nov. 30 shooting. Crumbley pleaded guilty to terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of attempted murder, and 12 counts of felony firearm.

The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office is seeking a life sentence without the chance of parole for the teen. Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Kwame Rowe has scheduled a July 27 hearing to determine whether he should not receive the sentence.

Ethan's parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, are charged with four counts each of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors accused them of "gross negligence" leading up to the murders. They face up to 15 years in prison.

In March, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled there was enough evidence for them to stand trial in Oakland County Circuit Court.

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