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Oxford school counselor who met with murderer given paid leave and reprimand for behavior

Harry October 30, 2024

An Oxford High School counselor who met with a student hours before he committed a 2021 mass shooting has made a deal with the school district to resign and take an eight-month paid leave, according to records newly released by the district.

Shawn Hopkins and Oxford Public Schools signed a separation agreement on Dec. 8, 2023, which allows Hopkins to resign but remain on fully paid leave with coverage until Aug. 15, 2024, according to documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. a community member and was given to the Detroit News this month.

The agreement was signed in 2023 by then-Superintendent Vickie Markavitch and union president James Gibbons but was not approved by the board of education until July 2024, school officials said. It was unclear why the board approved the agreement eight months after it was signed.

The reasons for the paid leave were not officially stated.

The discipline had not previously been made public. The district declined to comment on all personnel matters involving Hopkins and other school personnel; despite pleas from some community members for the district to be more transparent about decisions regarding staff who interacted with the shooter on the day of the attack and in the months leading up to the attack. BT.

Hopkins was charged in June 2022 with unprofessional conduct in connection with the Nov. 30, 2021, attack at the sprawling Oakland County high school in which four students, six other students and a teacher were killed, according to additional documents obtained through public records requests. They were injured.

It was also unclear whether that quote played a role in the paid leave agreement.

Hopkins could not be reached for comment. Tim Mullins, an attorney representing Hopkins in the civil lawsuit against the district, did not respond to a request for comment.

Hopkins, who was sued civilly by several Oxford families whose children were killed or injured, was reprimanded by the district on June 14, 2022 — less than seven months after the attack — after writing “counselor #1” on his back. Desk sign during youth mental health first aid training in April 2022.

Prior to this training, Hopkins was referred to in some court documents as “Counsel #1.” The district held a meeting with Hopkins to discuss the incident, and according to a June 14, 2022 letter about the incident, Hopkins admitted to writing the reference on the back of the nameplate.

“Referring to yourself in this manner gave the impression to other staff present that you were mocking and making light of the tragic event that occurred on November 30, 2021,” wrote David Pass, the district’s assistant director of human resources. Letter to Hopkins.

“Based on our conversation, you stated that this was not your intention, but these actions were not perceived that way,” Pass wrote. “Given the significant loss of life and emotional trauma this tragedy has created for our students, families, and community members, your actions were unprofessional.”

District spokeswoman Christine Smith said earlier this month that Superintendent Tonya Milligan and school board President Erin Reis would not comment on Hopkins’ paid leave agreement because it was a personnel matter. Hopkins’ resignation was approved by the board on July 9, 2024, Smith said.

Parents reacted to the statements

Four students were killed in the attack: Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana and Justin Shilling.

Convicted murderer Ethan Crumbley was reprimanded for looking at bullets in a classroom on Nov. 29, 2021, and summoned to a meeting with Hopkins and Dean of Students Nicholas Ejak on the day of the attack.

Ejak and Hopkins testified during criminal trial Ethan’s parents, Jennifer and James, He said they did not view Ethan Crumbley as a threat but rather as a student with mental health issues. Neither of them searched the teenager’s backpack. They also did not insist that his parents take him home when he said they had to work.

Hana’s father, Steve St. Juliana told The News on Tuesday that the district’s decision not to disclose Hopkins’ discipline and the incident for which he was reprimanded are part of an ongoing lack of accountability from school officials for what happened.

St. “I think in this particular case the school district should have commented that it took action,” Juliana said. “That’s the common theme here, that they don’t even acknowledge that anyone did anything wrong. They cover everything up, that’s how it comes out.”

St. Juliana said the fact that Hopkins’ nameplate read “Counselor #1” was “mind-blowing.”

Tate’s father, Buck Myre, said the incident was meant to make fun of the deaths of the four children.

Hopkins and Ejak were placed on paid non-disciplinary administrative leave a week after the 2021 attack They made the decision starting Dec. 7, 2021, as a standard move, as they both met with Ethan and his family to evaluate him before the attack, according to an email from the district.

“Given the seriousness of the situation, personal threats, and your medical condition and the ongoing internal and external investigation, you have been placed on non-disciplinary off-duty leave, effective immediately. You will be notified upon the conclusion of the investigation.” In a 2022 email previously obtained by The News, he wrote:

Both men were later reinstated. It was unclear what position Hopkins returned to, but he was listed on the district’s website as an international student advisor. Ejak started as a student support specialist at Oxford Crossroads Day School for the 2022-23 school year and is no longer employed by the district today.

What did the report say about the consultant?

No one was fired in the region in connection with the attack.

Guidepost, an independent consulting firm hired to review the district’s response to the attack, found that Hopkins, Ejak, former Superintendent Tim Throne, Deputy Superintendent Jill LeMond, Deputy Superintendent Denise Sweat, Oxford High School Principal Steve Wolf and the Oxford school board were attacked. the Most crimes stem from failure to be proactive in handling the shooter before a mass shooting occurs.

Specifically, the Guidepost report found that Hopkins, the school counselor who interacted with the shooter three times before and on the day of the shooting, failed to take appropriate steps regarding the shooter that could have prevented the tragedy.

Although Hopkins did not receive proper threat assessment training, there were “sufficient warning signs” that would have led him to alert the principal to the attacker’s behavior, according to the report. She also failed to follow the district’s suicidal ideation protocol despite concerns that her attacker might harm her.

Guidepost found that the attacker held three key meetings with school staff on November 29 and 30, 2021, before launching his deadly attack. Hopkins was present at all three meetings and had met with the shooter several times before those dates to discuss routine matters and concerns raised by his teachers.

Danielle Krozek, an Oxford parent who obtained the documents from another parent who obtained them through the Freedom of Information Act, said it was no secret that Hopkins was on leave. Meanwhile, he questioned why he was paid. Some community members asked the district to explain why Hopkins was on leave.

“The problem is that the district felt it was necessary to pay him severance in exchange for his resignation and chose to hide/deny it,” Krozek said. he said. “This was not a fiscally responsible decision, given the district’s financial situation and the needs of staff and students. How many other severance packages were given and why was this warranted?”

Civil lawsuits filed against Hopkins and other school staff and Oxford schools allege the families were negligent in preventing what their lawyers said was foreseeable action by the then-15-year-old shooter.

Last month, Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Oxford schools and their staff have government immunity in two cases related to the shooting. Lawyers for the families said they plan to take the case to the Michigan Supreme Court.

Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office refused to press charges He did not target any school employees in the attack, saying authorities had not found sufficient evidence to support criminal charges against any school district employees.

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