OXFORD, Mich. – The State Board of Education voted 7-1 to call upon the Michigan Legislature to require and fund a comprehensive independent review of the 2021 Oxford High School shooting in response to requests from parents of the four students who were killed.
Board members also voted to request that the legislature, in the fiscal year 2025 state budget, make previously approved funding for children’s mental health and school safety recurring.
The State Board of Education voted on Tuesday (June 11) to request that suicide and threat assessments be part of every school emergency operation plan and that threat assessment training be available in a train-the-trainer model for all school districts.
The vote comes after a May 21 board work session at which parents of the deceased students had a chance to share their thoughts and recommendations at the invitation of State Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Rice.
Officials said the resolution also addresses the 2023 mass shooting at Michigan State University.
The 2024 fiscal year budget passed by the state legislature and signed by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer with State Board of Education support provided $456 million for children’s mental health and school safety, which has allowed the Michigan Department of Education to work with Metro Detroit and intermediate school districts to pay for additional helping professionals, school social workers, guidance counselors, nurses, and psychologists, among other mental health supports.
Additionally to the Oxford recommendations, the school board voted to urge the legislature to mandate a full and funded independent investigation by a team of state agencies whenever a student or students have died as a result of a safety-related event.
A breakdown of the vote can be seen below
--> Michigan State reaches settlements with families of students slain in mass shooting
--> Oxford shooter wants new sentence, to withdraw guilty pleas
