TRANSPARENCY BRINGS. THEY SAY THE DISTRICT DID NOT DO BEFORE THE SHOOTING SPREE THAT LEFT
FOUR STUDENTS DEAD. LIVE FROM
DOWNTOWN DETROIT. LOCAL 4 NEWS
FIRST AT FOUR STARTS NOW. GOOD
AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY. I’M KAREN
DREW OUR TOP STORY RIGHT NOW.
FIRST AND FOUR NEW REVELATIONS
FROM FORMER SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS
IN THE OXFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT.
THEY SAY THEY WERE MISLED AFTER
THE DEADLY SHOOTING AT THE HIGH
SCHOOL AND THEN LEFT THE BOARD
SO THEY COULD SPEAK FREELY.
PAULA TUTMAN SPOKE WITH HIM JUST
A SHORT TIME AGO AND PAULA,
THERE WERE SOME REALLY BIG
REVELATIONS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED
BEHIND THE SCENES BEFORE AND
AFTER THE SHOOTING. KAREN
CERTAINLY SOME ACCUSATIONS THAT
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT YOUR RIGHT
BEFORE AND AFTER THAT WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT. I WAS STANDING ON
THIS VERY SPOT. THE DAY OF THAT
SHOOTING. STUDENTS WERE BEING
EVACUATED TO THAT MEIJER FROM
THAT SCHOOL RIGHT OVER. THERE
WERE TWO DAYS FROM THAT ONE YEAR
ANNIVERSARY. THERE ARE STILL
LAWSUITS ARE BEING FILED. THE
TWO FORMER SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS
ARE NOT NAMED IN ANY OF THOSE
LAWSUITS. IT IS VERY CLEAR THEIR
ATTORNEY IS TRYING TO KEEP THEM
FROM BEING NAMED IN ANY OF THOSE
LAWSUITS. AND SO THAT IS WHY
THEY ARE DISTANCING THEMSELVES.
I CAN’T SAY THAT IS WHY, BUT
CERTAINLY THEY ARE DISTANCING
THEMSELVES FROM WHAT HAPPENED.
WHAT MAKES THESE TWO FORMER
OXFORD SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS
POTENTIAL FLAMETHROWERS AIMING
INTO AN ALREADY BURNING HOT PIT
IS THEIR CLAIM THAT THE OXFORD
SCHOOL DISTRICT HAD AN APPROVED
PLAYBOOK THAT HAD IT BEEN
FOLLOWED. PERHAPS THE ACTIONS OF
CONFESSED KILLER CRUMBLY WOULD
HAVE BEEN SEEN STOPPED AND
THEREFORE HIS SHOOTING AND
KILLING AFFORD STUDENTS AND
INJURING OF SIX OTHERS MIGHT
HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. OXFORD
STRONG NEEDS TO MEAN MORE THAN
WE CAN ENDURE PAIN. MEAN? IT
NEEDS TO MEAN THAT WE CAN BEAR
IN DEAL WITH WHATEVER
TRANSPARENCY BRINGS. AND. THAT
TRANSPARENCY BEGINS TODAY. BUT
THERE’S ANOTHER PIECE OF THE
ACCUSATIONS BY FORMER OXFORD
SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT TOM
DONNELLY AND FELLOW FORMER BOARD
TREASURER CORY BAILEY, WHO SAY
THAT SINCE THE SHOOTING THE
DISTRICT STARTING WITH FORMER
SUPERINTENDENT TIM THROWN ALL
THE WAY DOWN TO THE PRINCIPAL AT
THE TIME, STEVEN WOOLFE, WHO
ACCORDING TO THE BOARD MEMBERS
HAVE TOLD THE PUBLIC THAT THEY
HAD DONE EVERYTHING THEY COULD
DO YET. THE SHOOTING STILL
HAPPENED AT A NEWS CONFERENCE
TODAY. THE TWO RECENTLY RESIGNED
BOARD MEMBERS INTIMATED THAT
THERE WERE FAILURES UP AND DOWN
THE LINE FROM THE PRINCIPAL TO
THE DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENTS TO
THE SUPERINTENDENT. AND IN PLAIN
ENGLISH. THE DISTRICT LEADERS
AND DECISION MAKERS DIDN’T COME
CLEAN WITH THEIR DEFICIENCIES
AND SUPPOSEDLY OUTSIDE FORCES,
THOUGH THEY DIDN’T SAY WHO WORK
TO KEEP BOARD MEMBERS SILENCED
WHEN THEY STUMBLED OVER WHAT
THEY BELIEVE TO BE THE FAILINGS
OF THE DISTRICT, BUT I FELT MY
ABILITY TO SERVE WITH HONOR AND
INTEGRITY WERE GONE IF I STAYED
AND STAYED SILENT. WE ARE
ELECTED BY THE COMMUNITY TO
REPRESENT EACH AND EVERY STUDENT
, PARENT TEACHER AND STAFF AND
THEY EXPECT US TO ACT WITH A
LEVEL OF INTEGRITY AND ETHICS.
REMAINING SILENT WAS NOT BEING
HONEST OR TRANSPARENT. OKAY SO
LISTEN, THERE IS A LOT TO UNPACK
HERE. FIRST OF ALL, I DO WANT TO
LET YOU KNOW THAT I DID REACH
OUT TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO
FIND OUT WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY
ABOUT WHAT THESE TWO NOW FORMER
BOARD MEMBERS ARE SAYING. PHONE
CALL VOICE MAIL MESSAGE. TEXT
MESSAGE. EMAIL HAVEN’T HEARD
ANYTHING. OKAY THERE’S STILL
TIME BECAUSE WE’RE GONNA BE HERE
THROUGH SIX O’CLOCK, SO I WILL
KEEP PRIDE ALSO COMING UP AT
FIVE. I DO WANT TO UNPACK MORE
ABOUT THIS. ASSESSMENT TOOL THAT
THESE TWO SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS,
FORMER SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS,
SORRY ABOUT THAT ARE SAYING THAT
THOSE TOOLS WERE IGNORED, AND
THEN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WAS NOT
TRANSPARENT ABOUT IGNORING THOSE
TOOLS AGAIN A LOT TO IMPACT.
HOPEFULLY I’M SAYING THIS IN
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER BECAUSE IT
REALLY IS IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE
TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY’RE
SAYING. BASED ON WHAT HAS BEEN
DONE AND AGAIN. WE’RE ONLY TWO
DAYS AWAY FROM THE ANNIVERSARY,
KAREN AND A LOT OF STILL BEING
UNCOVERED. IT NEEDS TO BE
UNCOVERED. AS YOU SAID, A LOT TO
IMPACT WILL BE CHECKING BACK
WITH YOU OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF