LILY ANDERSON / ASST. OPINION EDITOR

TW: Discussion of gun violence

A majority of us Gen Z-ers cannot remember a time when school shootings and lockdown drills  weren’t a  constant concern. Following the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, fear of violence in schools has plagued the U.S. To put things into perspective, the Sandy Hook Promise reports that in the U.S., since the Columbine massacre, over 338,000 students have experienced gun violence at their schools and over 300 fatal school shootings have occurred. They also state that four times out of five, one or more people knew about the attacker’s plans beforehand, but did not report them.

The 2021 Oxford High School shooting in Michigan, committed by then-15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, has returned to the headlines and marks a significant turning point in school shooting trials. For the first time, the attacker’s parents are being tried criminally because of their involvement, or lack thereof, in the act of violence. 

This is a positive and vital step in allocating the correct blame and deciding who is responsible for these violent actions, to prevent such acts from continuing in the future. 

On Nov. 30, 2021, Ethan opened fire  at  his  Michigan high school. Just a few hours earlier, school officials had found violent pictures drawn by Ethan. His parents didn’t feel it was necessary to remove him from school. Meanwhile, his backpack contained the gun, purchased for him by his father as a Christmas present, that he would later use to kill four of his peers and injure seven others, including a teacher. 

According to the Associated Press, one of Ethan’s teachers caught him searching for ammunition on his phone the day before the shooting. To this his mother texted him, “Lol. I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.” Ethan then made an audio recording of himself after school detailing his plan to kill other students, which was found on his phone after the shootings. Leading up to this, Ethan had journaled about the neglect he felt from his parents and how it was going to lead him to carry out the actions he ultimately committed. 

Following the shooting, Ethan was charged with murder and terrorism as an adult. His trial concluded on Dec. 9 2023, when he was 17 years old, after he pleaded  guilty to both charges. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. Meanwhile, James and Jennifer Crumbley, Ethan’s parents, were each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and immediately fled. In the 48 hours after the shooting, they bought burner phones, drained Ethan’s bank account, stayed in a hotel and hid in an abandoned building before being found. 

On Feb. 6 of this year, Jennifer Crumbley became the first parent to be found guilty and convicted for involuntary manslaughter charges concerning the actions of their child in a school shooting. His father, James Crumbley, has a trial planned to start on March 5, 2024. 

This case could set a new standard for the way we handle cases in the U.S. concerning the behavior of minors, such as other school or mass shooting cases. 

It also sends a message to parents: we are looking at you too, not just your kid. This shift in attitude may lead to better methods of supporting mental health and addressing alarming behavior in kids, since so many of Ethan’s signs were ignored. 

Not only did Ethan’s parents know about his violent thoughts and obsessions, but they also failed to safely secure the gun they supplied him with. They did not supply him with any resources after he had breakdowns about seeing demons, and sent texts to him on the day of the shooting, such as “don’t do it,” indicating they knew of his plan. 

If Ethan’s parents had listened to his cries for help, or if the school had done more to make sure he was okay after acknowledging concerning behavior, this entire tragedy may have been avoided, and his victims would still be alive. It is time to bridge the gap. 

Ideally this situation will lead to other parents and external factors around a school shooter to be considered during future trials. It is also essential to acknowledge that, at the end of the day, everyone still needs to be held accountable for their actions. It is unreasonable to expect every parent to know exactly what their child is thinking or feeling, and no family is perfect. However, parental neglect and failure to ensure gun safety is not a matter to be taken lightly. 

Moving forward, this case should encourage a reevaluation of the way that cases concerning minors and violent acts are dealt with. By holding parents and guardians accountable, we can continue to prevent future losses of life and create a safer environment for everybody. While accountability is paramount, it is also crucial for other parents to look at this case and evaluate if they may be lacking enough healthy participation in their children’s lives. Nobody is perfect, but some issues are too large to be ignored. Ultimately, we must continue to recognize warning signs and take action in hopes of preventing any more lives from being taken. 

Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of school shooter Ethan Crumbley, at her conviction. Photo courtesy of @datelinenbc/Instagram