Over two years following the tragic shooting at Oxford High School in 2021 that resulted in the deaths of four students, the Michigan legislature suggested a set of bills in March aimed at bolstering school safety measures for emergencies and supporting student mental health. Nearly a month ago, the state Senate passed the school safety reform legislation, which is anticipated to be signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
These measures are included in a bipartisan initiative aimed at enhancing safety and security in educational institutions. Several of the measures encompass access to pediatric mental health care, prohibition on firearm purchases for restricted juveniles, prevention of unlawful firearm trafficking, and a comprehensive allocation of $1.4 billion for programs aimed at violence prevention and intervention.
A report from Guidepost Solutions, a New York-based firm that handles investigations, compliance, and security, suggested that the Oxford shooting might have been avoided had appropriate steps been taken to guarantee thorough threat evaluations. One of the proposals was derived from this report that advocates for the establishment of Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management teams in all Michigan schools. Nonetheless, 90% of public schools in Michigan currently implement some type of threat assessment process to detect, assess, and handle potential threats.
For instance, Ann Arbor Public Schools has a program for managing and investigating possible threats. In a conversation with The Michigan Daily, Liz Margolis, the executive director of school safety and district operations at AAPS, stated that there will be few alterations to AAPS safety procedures when the bills are implemented.
“(The bills) don’t significantly affect the Ann Arbor Public Schools since we handle all of these matters,” Margolis stated. “Each school has a threat assessment team, and we consistently evaluate after a tragedy occurs in any school, collaborating with law enforcement.” For instance, I reviewed the Oxford report and examined each conclusion from it, comparing it with our protocols to ensure we could evaluate ourselves against those aspects.
The University of Michigan’s guidelines for active shooter situations stress the importance of remaining calm and dialing 911 when a person or group is using guns to threaten others in crowded areas on campus. Campus law enforcement is expected to respond promptly to avoid additional harm, and if the issue continues, the Emergency Management Plan will be enacted to address and oversee the threat.
Following the shooting, Oxford High School has made substantial revisions to their school policies. In an email to The Daily, Melissa Kree, psychologist at Oxford High School, mentioned that modifications implemented at Oxford consist of monthly staff meetings aimed at enhancing awareness of overall school trends.
“We gather monthly as a collaborative group at the building level with the Executive Director of School Safety to address current trends, requirements, and to review any situations that have arisen,” Kree noted. “The partnership among departments has been a crucial element of this effort.” Regrettably, professionals frequently work in isolation and lack opportunities for collaboration. This is why a central team (Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management) uses a multidisciplinary strategy.
The school safety legislation mandates the implementation of threat assessments, BTAM teams, and mental health assistance. In an interview with The Daily, Dr. Sarah Stilwell, a research investigator at the University’s Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, emphasized the significance of threat assessment and management teams, along with mental health aid, in preventing gun violence.
Stilwell stated, “We understand that threat assessment can serve as a strategy for preventing violence, ensuring that if a specific threat is recognized, it can be managed before it grows into something more severe.” “I believe that at times schools fail to acknowledge that a curriculum in social and emotional learning serves as a strategy for school safety.”
Oxford High School is among numerous schools impacted by gun violence, and Kree recognized the obligation of school administration to implement strategies to avert school shootings.
“I aspire to carry on with this effort and discover methods to assist other districts that might be having difficulty gaining momentum, believing that this will never occur to them,” Kree remarked. “The truth is that school shootings regrettably continue to escalate, and it is our duty as educational professionals to be educated in effective methods to prevent, evaluate, and offer concrete support and measures for students who might be headed toward violence.”
In an interview with The Daily, LSA junior Simisola Olaleye expressed that she believes preventive strategies are among the most effective means to stop violence.
“Although I think it’s wonderful that laws are being enacted to address violence in schools, one key lesson I’ve gained in public health is the importance of prevention,” Olaleye stated. “In the society we inhabit, full of sickness and violence––it seems we constantly focus on responses to events after they occur, yet we often neglect to consider how we might have prevented them in the first place.”
