Families of Oxford High School students demand safety fixes

(NewsNation) —  Families at Oxford High in Michigan, where 16-year-old Ethan Crumbley opened fire on his classmates, have now filed a new federal lawsuit against the school district, pushing for changes after the tragic shooting in November of 2021 that left four dead and seven injured.

While the new lawsuit doesn’t seek financial damages, it’s but the latest in what has been a slew of legal filings following the shooting, some seeking millions of dollars in claims on grounds that the violence could have been prevented.

“NewsNation Prime” was not able to get ahold of the school district but did talk to one of the plaintiffs, Andrea Jones, who is one of the founding members of Change4Oxford.

Jones has a son that attends the school and says the children miss a lot of school because it’s difficult for them to be in the scene of the crime.

“In particular, in their fifth hour, they’re still in the classrooms and hallways they were in when the shooting took place, so that is a big trigger for them,” Jones said. “For my son in particular, it could be anything from someone running in the hallway to a door slamming,” she said.

In terms of the lawsuits, Jones says the plaintiffs hope for an unbiased third-party reviews so they can look at what we wrong that day and adjust policies so that it doesn’t happen again.

Additionally, Jones says teachers should be able to look at the policies and adjust them so that students who have mental health aren’t sent back to class with other students. Jones said there needs to be a review of the backpack search policy and make specific rules about when it is OK to do so.

Even will the preventative policies, Jones is for hardening the school, as well.

“As far as security within the building, we do want to see stronger security in the physical form and metal detectors, as well as having armed guards in the building,” Jones said.

So far, Jones says, the school has not been responsive.