School teachers and administrators must do a better job of protecting students from gun violence. Predicting violence is never easy but when clues emerge suggesting a student could be thinking about mayhem then teachers and administrators must have a way to deal with the situation. When Ethan Crumbley opened fire Tuesday, Nov. 30 at Oxford High School, some 30 miles north of Detroit, he left four dead, 10 injured before Oakland County Sheriff arrived to take him into custody. While Crumbley faces murder and terrorism charges, Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald took it a step further charging both parents with involuntary manslaughter. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard found that James Crumbley purchased a 9 mm Sig-Sauer semiautomatic handgun on Black Friday only four days before Ethan’s massacre. How the gun got into Ethan’s hands is anyone’s guess.
Bouchard reported that James and Jennifer Crumbley are missimg, following today’s charges of involuntary manslaughter. Family Atty. Shannon Smith said they’d surrender. Whatever happens with the Crumbleys, state and local officials should reconsider District and school policy with respect to automatic suspensions when it comes to Internet or other postings hinting at the possibility of gun violence. When it came to Ethan, his teacher reported to Oxford High School Principal Steven Wolf that Ethan was caught looking for ammo on his cell phone, then caught with a picture which gave several clues about the mayhem to come. One Tuesday, Nov.30, the day of the massacre, Ethan’s teacher found a note-and-picture drawn by Ethan. Ethan drew a gun pointing at the words, “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me,” an apparent cry for help that wasn’t heeded by parents, teachers and principal.
On the note was a picture of a bullet with words written above: “Blood everywhere,” giving the closest thing to a direct warning that he was considering an act of gun violence. While parents, teachers and administrators, can’t be experts on predicting violence, they can draw the line when it comes to suspension policy. Had the District and high school had a policy in place that would have suspended Crumbley, requiring his parents to remove him from school pending psychiatric evaluation, the violence might have been prevented. If Ethan’s note weren’t explicit enough, another drawing showed a person shot and bleeding with Ethan saying, “My life is useless and “The world is dead,” according to chief prosecutor Karen McDonald. Ethan and his parents were required to attend a meeting with the principal. Ethan’s backpack was never checked for a weapon, nor did James and Jennifer check the gun.
McDonald made a bold statement holding the Crumbley’s partly responsible for giving their 15-year-old son Ethan access to a dangerous weapon. McDonald believes charging Ethan’s parents will send a loud message to parents exercising their Second Amendment rights to bear arms, but must, to conform to state laws, keep the weapons under lock-and-key from their children and teenagers. “The notion that a parent could read those words and also know that heir son had access to a deadly weapon that they gave him is unconscionable—it’s criminal,” McDonald said, holding the Crumbleys’ accountable for involuntary manslaughter and criminal negligence. Jennifer Crumbley texted Ethan after the shooting, saying, “Ethan, don’t do it,” McDonald said. James called 911 to tell authorities his gun was missing and Ethan might be the shooter, realizing his gun wasn’t secured.
Nothing can bring back the lives of four innocent classmates gunned down my a mentally deranged teenager. When Principal Steven Wolf met with Ethan, his parents and his teacher on Nov. 30, District policy should have dictated that Ethan be removed from the premises pending a mental health evaluation. Oxford Community School Superintendent Tim Thorne praised students and staff for responding to the traumatic scene. But instead of praising students and staff, Thorne must look carefully at grounds for suspension when it comes to potential gun violence. There’s been too many school shootings in recent years not to reevaluate current district guidelines for suspending potentially dangerous students before the mayhem takes place. Oxford High Principal Steven Wolf had enough information about Ethan to have his parents remove him from the High School campus pending a mental health evaluation.
When it comes to predicting and controlling violence in the schools, there’s more Districts and schools can do to make campuses safer, including creating a zero tolerance policy when it comes to notes and pictures depicting gun violence. Ethan gave all the clues but his parents, teacher and principal did nothing to get him the help needed before going ballistic. Superintendent Throne said “no discipline was warranted,” showing, as far as the District was concerned, they did enough to protect innocent children. Anyone looking at the shameful loss of life knows that Districts and schools must do more than complain only about gun control As long as mentally disturbed students aren’t taken seriously, it’s easy for a superintendent to say, “no discipline was warranted.” Well to stop potentially acts of gun violence in the schools, parents, teachers and administrators must do more.
