Oxford students greeted with therapy dogs following high school shooting

Students in Oxford, Mich., schools grades K-8 were greeted with therapy dogs Friday on their first day back following a deadly shooting at Oxford High School.  

The students went in for their first half-day at school almost two weeks after 15-year-old student Ethan Crumbley allegedly opened fire at the town’s high school, the district said in a statement. 

Oxford High School, where the shooting occurred, will remain closed until at least January. 

Therapy dogs were at the Oxford Community Schools to help students following the tragic event, and every school will have a team of therapy dogs in the buildings until the end of the 2021-2022 school year, the district said in a statement on reopening. 

Students were not allowed to bring backpacks into school buildings on Friday, and will not be allowed through the end of next week. 

The school system said 83 percent of students attended on the first day back to classes, NBC 25 News reported. 

“We are looking forward to seeing our amazing students, school employees and families again and we have a plan in place for a safe return to school,” the school said before the reopening.

The schools have also upped security measures such as having law enforcement in the buildings. 

A security firm has been hired, and GoGuardian and Gaggle software has been downloaded to monitor suspicious activity on school-provided accounts. 

Oxford Community Schools staff are also getting trained in trauma responses, and trained trauma specialists will be available for staff and students. 

“To heal as a community, it is critical we support one another as one Wildcat Nation following the horrific events of last week. Truly, together we are stronger. Being strong means being resilient and courageous enough to seek help. We cannot encourage our Wildcats and their families enough to utilize the many resources and services for coping with trauma found on our website,” the district stated.