OXFORD, Mich. – The Michigan Supreme Court dealt a significant blow to Oxford High School shooting victims’ families on Tuesday, declining to hear their appeal against the school district, effectively ending their legal pursuit to hold school officials accountable for the 2021 tragedy that claimed four young lives.
The court’s decision upholds the Michigan Court of Appeals’ ruling from September, which maintained that Oxford Community Schools and its employees are protected by governmental immunity. The shooting on Nov. 30, 2021, resulted in the deaths of Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling, and Madisyn Baldwin.
“This is horrible, absolutely horrible,” said Buck Myre, Tate’s father. “There is no change coming out of this tragedy.”
The families’ legal team had challenged the fundamental principle of governmental immunity itself.
“We argued that governmental immunity should absolutely be abolished and ruled unconstitutional,” said Ven Johnson, attorney for the Oxford families.
Parents of Oxford students expressed deep disappointment with the court’s decision.
“We are all just trying to process that they won’t even listen to our case,” said Meghan Gregory, an Oxford parent. “This was a mass casualty. This was a huge deal, and the fact that they don’t seem to care is really disheartening.”
The school district’s attorney, Tim Mullins, defended the ruling.
“The case was well decided. Employees should not be held responsible for the criminal acts of independent third parties,” said Mullins in a statement.
With legal options exhausted, families and their representatives are shifting focus to legislative solutions.
“I think what it does is it brings back into focus that we need to start asking for change at other levels. We need to go to our legislature,” said Chris Desmond, an attorney for the Oxford families.
Oxford Community Schools released a statement emphasizing their ongoing commitment to safety: “Each day, we work to provide a safe, compassionate, and supportive environment for our students and staff.”
The district acknowledged that the Supreme Court’s decision might “bring renewed emotion for many in our school community” and reminded the community that support resources remain available by clicking here.
