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Oxford superintendent said 'no discipline warranted' for Ethan Crumbley before attack

Superintendent Tim Throne gave his first comments on December 2, addressing the behavioural meetings about Ethan Crumbley before the shooting

OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN: The superintendent of Oxford Community Schools in Michigan said "no discipline was warranted" when alleged shooter Ethan Crumbley, 15, met with school officials before Tuesday's carnage on November 30.

Schools across Oakland County, Michigan canceled all classes for the remainder of the week after the November 30 incident. Meanwhile, a couple of school districts around Metro Detroit have also canceled classes as a precaution following threats written on a bathroom wall at Heritage Junior High School, Sterling Heights. Schools in Holly, Rochester, and Troy shut down for Thursday, December 2, before sending a letter to parents saying they were cooperating with the authorities.

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Superintendent Tim Throne gave his first comments on Thursday, December 2, since the attack, addressing the meetings before the shooting that included Crumbley, school administrators, as well as the suspect's parents. “I want you to know that there has been a lot of talk about the student who was apprehended,” Throne said, without naming the 15-year-old. “That he was called up to the office, and all that kind of stuff. No discipline was warranted. There are no discipline records at the high school,” the superintendent said.

Earlier in the day, it emerged that two teachers at the school had raised concerns over Crumbley's conduct in the past week. The suspect reportedly had a "counseling session" with school officials on Monday, November 29, after a teacher reported witnessing “something that she felt was disturbing in terms of” Crumbley’s behavior, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told CNN’s 'New Day.'

The sheriff said school officials also made a phone call to Crumbley's parents that day. “The day of the shooting, a different teacher in a different classroom saw some behavior that they felt was concerning and they brought the child down to an office, had a meeting with school officials, called in the parents,” Bouchard explained. “And ultimately it was determined that he could go back into class.”

In his comments, which were posted on YouTube, Throne acknowledged Tuesday's meeting as well, which reportedly took place three hours before Crumbley killed four students and wounded seven people at the school. “Yes, this student did have contact with our front office. And yes, his parents were on campus Nov. 30 … this is as much information as we can give you today” the superintendent said. Meanwhile, Bouchard said the decision to let Crumbley go back to class Tuesday “will all be part of the investigation in terms of what they thought and why they thought that was the right step.”

Shortly after the Tuesday meeting, Crumbley opened fire outside a school bathroom. Prosecutors said he moved through a hallway at a "methodical pace," shooting at students in the hallways and classrooms before surrending to the authorities in what became the deadliest shooting at a K-12 school since 2018. Bouchard did not detail what the teacher's concerns were exactly, adding that his department was "never informed of either meeting prior to the shooting or that there were any concerns about behavior."

Throne has said the school will mostly remained closed for weeks, pending investigation. “This high school is like a wreck right now,” the superintendent said, likening it to a “war zone.” He lauded students and staff for their response, highlighting how some administrator performed CPR and the students who "did exactly as they had trained." He said he will be meeting with the parents of the four students who lost their lives in the melee, adding that he will answer all questions at a later time but "this is as much information as we can give you today."