It’s impossible to ignore all of the headlines, and I’m sure we all know at least some of the story at this point. The recent school shooting in Oxford, Michigan has left many shocked, horrified, and wondering what could have might’ve been done to prevent it. While there are still many questions to be answered, there are some things we can observe to try and determine how we might be able to prevent more incidents like this in the future.
Ethan Crumbley has been charged with causing the deadliest school shooting of 2021 when four students were killed on November 30th, at Oxford High School. This took place after he and his parents had been in a meeting with a school counselor relating to disturbing and graphic images he had recently drawn and online searches for ammunition. His drawing had included the words, “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me.” Following an emergency meeting immediately after a teacher noticed the drawing and words, his parents refused to take him home.
The school allowed Ethan Crumbley to return to class after they say that he seemed calm and unlikely to hurt other students. According to authorities, despite their ability to, the school didn’t search his backpack or any of his possessions before allowing him to return to class. They noted that he had not had any disciplinary record before, and that they were not aware he possessed a gun at the time of their meeting on the 30th. Currently the school is facing a $100 million lawsuit from two of the survivors’ parents claiming the school and its staff members acted with “reckless disregard” for the victims’ safety.
Ethan’s parents have both plead not guilty to involuntary manslaughter for the part they played in allowing him to get possession of a gun and bring it into school. As for the alleged shooter, he is currently being charged as an adult, which, if convicted, could leave him in jail for the rest of his life. This poses the question of ere is a question that we still must ask ourselves, “Will anything change?”
While it may be easy to believe that after such a tragedy there would inevitably be some kind of meaningful reform, or at least some kind of re-examination of what led to its occurrence, the fact that this even happened may unfortunately be an indication for what is likely to come of it.
Despite the eyes of the nation turning to this scene of horror, it still may not be enough to prevent another tragedy like this from the next one from happening. While there are efforts to prevent it, only time will tell if they are actually successful. Hopefully someday there will be a time when events like these are mere memories of the pasta different time, and hopefully sometime soon.