The Michigan school district where a student gunman is accused of killing four teens have added new safety precautions by requiring middle- and high-school students to carry only clear backpacks.
The mandate, which is set to begin next year at Oxford schools, is only one of several new measures following the November high-school mass shooting by accused killer Ethan Crumbley.
“Safety, both physical and emotional, is at the top of our list,” district Superintendent Tim Throne said in a video message earlier this week.
“We are doing clear backpacks for middle-school, [alternative high-school] Bridges and [Oxford] high-school students when they return,” Throne said. “We have therapy dogs in all the buildings, we have counselors scheduled in all the buildings, trauma specialists scheduled in all the buildings, as well as private security in all the buildings.”
Crumbley, 15, faces four counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder.
Seven people were also injured in the tragedy, CNN reported.
Police alleged that Crumbley opened fire in the school hallway shortly after his parents were called to the school to have a meeting with school officials over the “disturbing” drawings he drew.
James and Jennifer Crumbley, his parents, refused to take him home following their meeting. They now face manslaughter charges in the incident.
Ethan Crumbley allegedly had the gun that his father purchased for him inside his backpack during the meeting.
Throne said police and school officials are also looking into recent social-media threats.
“Unfortunately, many times with these social-media threats, we never get a clear answer,” he said. “But in any event, I wanted to let you know we haven’t forgotten about that.”
