Former Oxford School Board members warn every Michigan parent

OXFORD, Mich. — Former members of the Oxford School Board say they had to resign, in order to warn every Michigan parent what they wished they would have known.

In 2004, Oxford Community Schools adopted what is known at their school district, and many other school districts in Michigan, as an 8400 policy.

The policy states that using the model established by the Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service, the school district should have had a team with a low threshold for creation keeping an eye on "markers" like a sudden decline in grades, or a sudden change in attendance, as possible indicators for targeted violence, such as a school shooting.

Former members of the school board say the only way to know a policy like this isn't implemented correctly is if it ends in tragedy, as the Oxford Community experienced on November 30, 2021.

The former board members want every Michigan parent to look closely at what happened in the state's first deadly school shooting of modern times—so it never happens again.

The question parents have to ask themselves is if their school district has a policy for threat assessment—and if that policy is being used. In Oxford, the board members say that staff members were trained for threat assessment, but that training was never put to use. The policy remained on paper, and was not in practice, according to the board members.

Oxford community members say it's important every parent ask the questions they didn't know to ask. No state law requires threat assessments to be in place in school districts. Fire emergency requirements, however, do exist, based on a very similar model to the threat assessment model created by the Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service. No child has died in a school because of a fire in 50 years, which the former board members say is clear evidence that the 8400 policy in place could have potentially saved lives if it had actually been used.

Many West Michigan School districts have threat assessment policies, and many of them have the same exact code of "8400" as Oxford Community Schools.

Many West Michigan Schools do not have a clear policy based on "Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model" which is created by the Department of Homeland Security and Secret service. That's why Oxford community members want every parent to ask questions about threat assessment.

Schools with clear policies similar to Oxford Community Schools:
Kentwood Public Schools
Caledonia Public Schools
Coopersville Area Public Schools

Schools with no clear threat assessment policy available online based on the model created by the Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service implemented by the Board of Education:

Mona Shores Public School's Superintendent reached out to FOX 17 to provide more context as to why the threat assessment policy is not online, as a matter of school board policy. The district says they have a robust threat assessment policy— as an administration in conjunction with local law enforcement. The threat assessment policy is not part of the school board's policy.

Mona Shores says the best thing parents can do— is reach out and ask to see a district's threat assessment policy. FOX 17 did a follow up story to provide context, which can be found here.
Information regarding this policy can be found on most school districts' websites, under "Board of Education Policies and Procedures."