Could Oxford Community Schools officials be next in line for accountability after convictions of shooter's parents?
OXFORD, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – Now that the parents of the Oxford High School shooter have been convicted of involuntary manslaughter for gross negligence, could Oxford Community Schools officials be next?
At Thursday night's press conference, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald didn't outright say no, and it's something that the parents of the four mass shooting victims would like to see, and they aren't alone.
"It's time to bring closure so we can begin the healing process, and part of that is holding the individuals accountable for their failures," said Mark Gillim, whose daughter attends Oxford High School.
Gillim believes the convictions of James and Jennifer Crumbley were the next step in the right direction when it comes to accountability for the November 2021 mass shooting.
He thinks school administrators should be next to face a jury.
"You know, they were warned ahead of time and did nothing to protect the interests of our children. And because of that, four precious lives were lost," Gillim said
Since the tragedy, the parents of the four victims, Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, and Justin Shilling, have demanded a shake-up, but to no avail.
"Nobody wants to take any accountability. That needs to start tomorrow," said Buck Myre, Tate Myre's father
"We need to start focusing on the school. The school and its failures. The things that they don't want to admit to," said Nicole Beausoleil, Madisyn Baldwin's mother.
And because the school district is currently protected by governmental immunity in its civil cases, some think criminal charges would bring about change.
"Well, I think the first part is they need an investigation done by a law enforcement agency, as all the other schools have had done by the federal government has come in and the state authorities. And part of recovery is trust, rebuilding trust, and you don't have trust when you don't know what happened," said Kal Meyers, a crisis intervention specialist and Oxford resident.
As the legal cases continue to play out, some in the community will turn to the resiliency center in town
"I think for the general public, it's hard to remember that this is a long-term healing process. And so this type of event when we have court, it reopens wounds, it, you know, can kind of stall the, the, the healing process," said Jamie Ayer, director of the All For Oxford Resiliency Center.
They encourage anyone to reach out for comfort even beyond when the shooter's parents are sentenced on April 9.
