Oxford High School shooting independent report: 'District failed to provide safe environment'

FOX 2 (WJBK) - A 572-page independent review of the Oxford High School shooting found that the tragedy could have been avoided by the district, with responsibility lying across the board, from the top down.

The firm Guidepost Solutions LLC was hired through the school board's investigative counsel Varnum LLP to jointly conduct the investigation of the shooting, which left four students dead and injured seven other victims, including a teacher on Nov. 30, 2021.

"In certain critical areas, individuals at every level of the district, from the board to the Superintendent and his cabinet, to the OHS administration and staff, failed to provide a safe and secure environment," the report said. 

The report states that although the shooter is guilty of murder and his parents will be tried for their alleged negligence with their son, the district was responsible for keeping the four slain students: Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling and Hana St. Juliana and the rest of the OHS survivors and students safe but "failed to do so."

The report said that responsibility was often denied and shifted elsewhere among school district leadership, adding that failure and responsibility by omission was found.

"Our investigation has revealed that had proper threat assessment guidelines been in place and District threat assessment policy followed, this tragedy was avoidable," the report said.

Find more coverage of the Oxford shooting here.

Guidepost previously released what it called an "independent report on threat and suicide assessments and physical security.

Read the full shooting incident report below. Some details may be upsetting to some readers, viewer discretion is advised.