DETROIT — Two reports will come out of a third-party investigation into the Nov. 30 mass shooting at Oxford High School and be made public early next year, a company official said.
The first report, due out in early the first quarter of 2023, will detail what Oxford Community Schools currently has in place for school security and threat assessment practices, whether there are gaps in its plan, and recommendations for improvements, said Bradley Dizik, an executive vice president with Guidepost Solutions.
The second report, due out later in the first quarter 2023, is a full accounting of what happened leading up to, on and after the Nov. 30 attack that killed four students and wounded seven others, according to Dizik.
"This report will focus on the answers that the victims' families and Oxford community have been demanding. Our investigation is being conducted objectively. It is not a gotcha. But our report will not pull any punches. Our mandate is to provide the Oxford community and the victims' families with transparency. That we will do," Dizik said.
The second report will also examine whether the district had threat assessment teams in place to address behavior by gunman Ethan Crumbley and whether the district used any of the protocols in its own safety plan to try to mitigate the attack, Dizik said. It will also include recommendations for improvements in these areas, he said.
Four students — Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; and Justin Shilling, 17 — died in the attack at Oxford High School, while seven others were injured.
On Monday, two former board members alleged Oxford Community Schools did not follow its own threat assessment policies to prevent school violence before the Nov. 30 mass shooting at its high school.
Of the 108 witnesses Guidepost requested to meet with, about half have participated in interviews, with some people declining out of fear, he said. But participation is on the rise.
"Voluntary participation has been difficult. People are dealing with trauma. Many are scared of the process. If you want to tell your story, we are here to listen," Dizik said.
Educators and administrators at Oxford Community Schools were advised not to participate in interviews with Guidepost into the school massacre.
Dizik said the company wants to host a town hall to introduce teachers and staff to investigators and will work with the district to set a date.
"Let them ask questions of us. This is to help the district, help the families learn the truth. I want to make ourselves available to them," Dizik said.
Dizik said the reports will be released to the public at the same time they are released to the board and district.
"We are still working through the method for how they will be publicly released, but at a minimum they will be posted and made available on the Guidepost website or an independent site for the investigation," he said.
District officials said the cost for the Guidepost review is around $300,000.
The investigations, regulatory compliance, monitoring and security consulting firm was hired by the board in May to perform a full review of what happened at the high school the day of the shooting and in the days leading up to the deadly attack.
Guidepost will continue interviews in Oxford through this month if there is interest from administrators, teachers, staff or students and families to meet, Dizik said. He added that interviews are confidential and names will not appear in their reports unless a person is determined to be a critical witness.
Guidepost also helped the University of Michigan develop its response to sexual assault complaints and address the culture of sexual misconduct surrounding accused faculty members.
The Oxford school board has three times rejected an offer by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to conduct an independent review. Nessel has raised concerns that Oxford schools could conceal information by refusing to waive attorney-client privilege.
Two Oxford High School staffers who met with Crumbley hours before the shooting were placed on paid leave, but no one has resigned or been fired.
Ethan's parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, had been called to the school the morning of Nov. 30 because of teachers' concerns about their son’s behavior, including watching violent videos, searching for ammunition on his phone, and scrawling disturbing drawings and words on his math homework.
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