Oxford Community Schools

Dear Wildcat Nation,

Please watch this short video message that prefaces the information below:  https://youtu.be/5OgZbHttSBE

We share your disappointment that an unauthorized student entered our high school campus on Thursday, January 27. Please know, this student is a member of our community and our school district. We have been limited by school privacy laws that protect student information; however, the student’s parent has authorized us to release the following information so our community has an accurate portrayal of the situation to address fears and relieve anxiety. Again, only because we have explicit parent permission to do so, we can now provide you the following information:

The student in our building Thursday was involved in an incident at OHS on November 4 involving a deer head on campus. That incident did not include any threats to anyone at Oxford High School and was fully investigated by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. The student does not have any connection to any other incidents at OHS this year. The student is very remorseful for his behavior and its effect on fellow students and Oxford families.

1. In accordance with our Student Code of Conduct and as a result of a discipline tribunal hearing, the student was long-term suspended from Oxford High School through the end of first semester. The expectation was for the student to enroll in the Graduation Alliance program and not to return to OHS.
2. Although this student was not to be in the building on Thursday, he came to school with the intention of attending class. The student brought in a Chromebook in a district-issued bag and went to his classroom. He did not have a backpack, music case, or any other bag in his possession. At the time the student entered the building, there were adults supervising the arrival of students at the high school.
3. The first-hour teacher immediately contacted administration upon his entry to class. Security personnel and our School Resource Officer (an Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Detective) escorted the student to the office and searched his person and his belongings. Additionally, other OCSO deputies and leadership were also on site at the high school. The student was cooperative through the whole process. His parent was contacted and quickly arrived at OHS to discuss the matter with district and building administrators. The parent was cooperative and apologetic. Police escorted the student and his parent off campus.
4. The student has been transferred to our Graduation Alliance program effective immediately and will be accessing this program’s coursework virtually. The student will not be attending Oxford High School and is not allowed to participate in extracurricular activities at OHS. Police have been notified that the student cannot enter the premises.
5. Thursday’s student situation is in no way related to the concerning social media post communicated earlier on Friday, January 28.

We have now created an additional safety procedure for students to enter our building each morning.

• Students will show their 2021-2022 school ID upon entry and have their clear backpack(s) visually scanned. Students should have their school ID ready when they enter the building to show security and administration.
• If a student does not have their school ID or they have lost it, we will check them in by using their PowerSchool account on their phones for the time being. We will review their account information and image on their phones within PowerSchool upon entry. We will also record names of students without a current ID so that we can purchase and provide them a new school ID.
• Please be sure that your student downloads the PowerSchool application this weekend if they do not have it to prepare for new entry protocols Monday morning. To login in, students will enter the OHS code: TKJK, then enter their username (school ID) and password (6 digit date of birth). Our staff will be available to assist with a laptop if students are not able to log in.

We will continue to have student entry each morning at main entrance doors #1 and #2, as well as pool entrance, door #17.

• Doors open at 7:10 am and will close and lock at the start of the school day, 7:48 am. During late starts, doors will open at 9:40 am and close/lock at the start of the school day, 10:20 am. Each designated student entrance will continue to be staffed with security, administration and additional staff. We will continue to have police presence throughout the school day, with police available on-site during student entry.
• If students arrive after the start of the school day, they will be required to enter our main entrance door #2, where they will be securely buzzed into the building. When the school day begins, access to our academic hallways are locked and closed.
• Students arriving late are monitored after being buzzed in and are required to check into the main office to sign in late. During this time, students will also be required to show their school ID (or Power School information) and have their clear backpacks visually scanned. We will continue to check non-clear athletic bags and performing arts instrument cases upon entry where they will be escorted by staff and security to the appropriate destination.
• It is prohibited for students to prop open doors or to allow entry to other students in doorways. Students who violate this rule may face discipline in accordance with our Student Code of Conduct.

As a reminder, our building is open for extracurricular activities after school hours. We will continue to staff a security position during the afternoon and early evening hours to monitor building safety.

We truly appreciate your patience and support as we continue to review our procedures and protocols. We look forward to seeing our Wildcats back at the high school on Monday!

Together we are Oxford Strong,