OXFORD TOWNSHIP, MI (WXYZ) — Oxford Township school leaders debuted their return to school plans to parents Wednesday night during a tele-town hall.
Oxford administrators say their goal is to have high school students back in the building by the end of January.
The plan also includes 2 weeks of an alternating hybrid schedule using the middle school building starting January 10. They will then launch a full return to the high school on January 24.
Oxford High School has been closed since November 30. The district giving students time to heal and administrators time to plan.
"To be able to be on a live call with the people who are in charge with putting this plan in place was really comforting," Oxford High School parents Jeff and Amy Losee said.
Their son is a junior at the high school and they believe the school's plan is positive.
Their son, like many of his classmates, were in class the day of the shooting.
"He's anxious about going back to the school where this happened and yet at the same time said I realize we have to move forward," his parents said.
When students walk through those doors at the end of January, the school will look different after some renovations.
The school fixed the damage left behind by the shooting and sought advice from mental health professionals to redesign and renovate the entire academic wing of the building.
"Anything you can do to minimize the visual impact of what that tragedy was, I think is positive," the Losee parents said.
The school says they have hired a private security firm, added more mental health workers and law enforcement at the school, and will be requiring clear backpacks.
The school is also discussing adding metal detectors and police dogs to sniff for weapons.
"I don't want to have to send our kid to school having to go through a metal detector, yet at the same time you want them to be safe," the Losee family said.
There's not a perfect solution in which every parent and child feels safe returning back to a school where a month ago a heartbreaking tragedy took place. But the Losee's say they are thankful their voices are being heard.
"You're not going to make the whole community satisfied with a planned approach but if the flexibility is there, the communication is there, I think it's a positive," they said.
The plan also gives students the option to stay virtual for a few weeks or through the rest of the year. The district says they do not intend to extend the year due to lost class time.
A second tele-town hall is scheduled for later today.
