OXFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The fallout continues after the release of the final report on the Oxford High School shooting.
Former Oxford School Board treasurer Korey Bailey, seated next to his lawyer Wednesday morning, reacted to the long-awaited report.
Related: Families left frustrated after release of Oxford High School shooting report
Bailey, along with former school board president Tom Donnelly resigned from their positions last year.
“It is the hope for Tom and I that this report will not be the end but rather a beginning, a beginning of healing, beginning of understanding a beginning of change for Oxford and hopefully every other school in this great nation,” Bailey said while reading a prepared statement.
For Bailey, the report is vindication.
“What has been made clear in the report is that this was a systematic failure. We learned this and it was one of the reasons Tom and I felt we needed to resign a year ago,” Bailey said.
The Guidepost Solutions report details how the Oxford School District missed signals and opportunities to prevent the November 2021 shooting that killed four students, injured six others and a teacher.
“What the board should do now that the truth is public, ask who sold the board that bill of goods that nothing was wrong, that the school followed policy and procedure, hold those people accountable for their actions,” he said.
Bailey said he hopes this report will lead to changes not just in Oxford, but at schools nationwide.
“Every district needs to learn from this horrific lesson, safety threat assessment and training can no longer be lost in the shuffle, it needs to be a constant and funded priority,” he said.
Guidepost will hold three public meetings on Thursday, Nov. 2, on the final report. It will be held at the Oxford Township Board Room. The meetings are at 1:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.