Oxford High School Civil Cases Denied by Michigan Supreme Court in Shocking Decision

In a move that was really unexpected and has left dozens of grieving families both startled and deeply saddened, the Michigan Supreme Court, has made it clear on Wednesday that civil cases against Oxford Community Schools brought by the parents of the victims of the 2021 Oxford High School mass shooting will not be heard by it.

By doing so, the court has practically guaranteed that the chances of the families retaining the district accountable for what they are convinced were grave mistakes that fateful day the tragedy erupted are reduced to nil. The court declared that it wasn’t persuaded that the raised issues justified additional inquiry.

Already the year 2021 had been started and the whole world hadn´t seen anything that unimaginable for such a long time. Notwithstanding it all, when a 15-year-old student, definitely somebody we should say used to and kill time together at school, all of a sudden began shooting students in the Oxford High School, taking the lives of four victims – Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana, Justin Shilling, and Madisyn Baldwin and wounding the other numerous. It has been the parents’ fight all along, where they have been unrelenting about justice. They have argued that the school’s inactiveness during the days and hours leading up to the shooting had been the primary cause of the tragedy.

What is the main issue at this stage of the legal battle? The families, through their lawyers, contended that the Governmental Tort Liability Act of Michigan, was used by the school and its staff as a shield for them not to be held accountable even if their actions were grossly negligent. In its verdict, the Michigan Court of Appeals and other lower courts concurred with the first instance courts in maintaining the schools’ legal immunity. The families later filed a petition in the state’s Supreme Court, thinking of getting another chance to argue their cases. This hope was dashed.

According to Buck Myre, one of the fathers who lost his son Tate in the shooting incident, the court’s decision is a warning to the rest of the nation. “It’s our government saying nothing’s going to change,” and he added at a news conference. The look on his face and his nice but pained tone wreaked concern that probably schools would not get the message and would still repeat the same grave mistakes, which may have dire consequences.

The events from November 2021 have left a lot of people wondering: Was there any way this tragedy could have been averted?
It was definitely a big shock to everyone, but it came out later in the day that in the morning, the shooter drew horrible pictures and wrote nonsensical phrases on a school assignment, like a weapon and a bloodied figure, at the same time with the lines “Blood everywhere” and “Help me.” However, no one of the school staff went to see the student. It was his parents who were invited to a meeting with the school, but the boy still was able to go back to class. His bag remained unchecked by anyone. He opened fire a few hours later.

The convicted shooter has been given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The school shooter’s parents were also convicted of involuntary manslaughter and are now serving 10 to 15 years in prison a first-of-its-kind judgment that has left criminology scholars’ mouths open.

Consequently, the families still believe that that is not nearly a swift and harsh punishment.

Mrs. Meghan Gregory, whose son Keegan miraculously survived the shooting, expressed her deep agony and frustration at the High Court’s refusal. “It’s really too much to bear, just hearing that they are not going to take a look at our case” by Mrs. Gregory. “It was a huge tragedy, a catastrophe that could have educated the world, but instead, it seems that nobody even cares about the incident.”
But still, these families are not at the end of their tether. They are determined to be a voice for their dearly departed children by advocating for complete transparency, change and accountability so as to prevent a similar tragedy from happening to other families.
Though the court battle is temporarily over, it’s not the case with their mission. To them, it’s all about showing respect for their children not just by paying tribute but by making some meaningful and lasting change in the world.