OXFORD, Mich. – A group of students at Oxford High School says the psychological scars from the deadly shooting they witnessed haven’t healed, and they want action.
The group calling itself “We Will Be Heard” invited Local 4 to the school on Tuesday (Nov. 21) to hear their concerns, and they don’t think the Oxford School District has done enough to make changes or to help students heal.
We Will Be Heard called for resignations from the school board and urged the public to get involved.
A leader for the group says the release of the Guidepost Solutions report on mistakes made before and during the shooting spurred them to demand more accountability.
“After the truth of the investigation, we said, ‘The truth is out now, we have something to fight for, and we have the information to back it up,’” said Giselle Gilliam. “We’re done being told to shut up; we’re done being silenced; enough is enough, and we’re fighting back and asking for justice and healing for the students of Oxford.”
Students walked out of class, made a series of demands, and encouraged more students to speak out at an upcoming school board meeting.
They are in so much pain when they walk into Oxford High School each day as they know mistakes were made leading up to the shooting and they say mistakes are being made almost two years after the shooting.
“We’ve been told not to talk about the shooting out of fear of triggering each other,” Gilliam said. “We have been silenced. We want the people who have been trained to help us with this to help us and do their jobs.”
Gilliam, who is an Oxford High School junior, expressed the pain and frustration that her fellow students were going through. She said she just wants healing and accountability, which hasn’t come as we near the two-year anniversary of the tragic shooting that killed four students.
The teen spelled out what students believe needs to happen for any healing to begin.
“The immediate removal of board members of Erin Reis, Collen Schultz, Heather Shafer, Mary Hanser, principal Steven Wolf, and counselor Shawn Hopkins from any aspect of Oxford Community Schools as they failed to perform their duties and implement the necessary policies to protect their children.”
New information about what occurred on Nov. 30, 2021, led the students to speak out.
“It is disgusting to see these people responsible for the death of my friends bleeding out in our hallways,” Gilliam said. “That we have to stand in this community and know that they are walking freely. Working with troubled children in the district and still in charge. They were met with promotions as a reward for having the deaths of these children on their hands. We will not sit here and be silent and accept these people freely walking in our community. It’s not OK.”
Students said if leaders do not step down, then they will form a petition to have them removed.