Michigan Supreme Court Ends Oxford School Staff Lawsuit Appeals

The Michigan Supreme Court has declined to hear appeals from families of students killed or wounded in the November 2021 Oxford High School shooting, effectively ending efforts to hold school employees and the district legally responsible. The Court of Appeals had earlier ruled that Oxford school staff are protected by governmental immunity, which shields them from litigation unless gross negligence is proven. The appeals court found no evidence that the school employees were the proximate cause of the tragedy, emphasizing that the shooting was the result of 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley's premeditated actions. Prior to the attack, Crumbley exhibited warning signs, including drawings of weapons and violent imagery, and although school officials met with his parents, no immediate intervention like searching his backpack occurred. Crumbley and his parents have all been convicted and sentenced in connection with the shooting, with Crumbley serving life in prison and his parents serving 10-year terms for involuntary manslaughter. Families have expressed frustration over governmental immunity and the lack of preventative changes following the tragedy, but legal avenues to hold the school district accountable appear exhausted.