Following shooting, Oxford (Mich.) district bolsters safety rules for students

The Oxford (Mich.) district has enacted stricter safety rules for students as they begin to return to classes for the first time since a high school shooting left four dead.

The backpacks that students carry in grades six through 12 must be clear so nothing can be concealed inside, reports The Detroit News.

All high school and middle school students will be provided clear backpacks large enough to hold Chromebooks.

Oxford High School has been closed since Nov. 30 when a student brought a gun to school and opened fire, killing four students and wounding seven others. Ethan Crumbley, 15, has been charged with multiple counts of murder.

The district's elementary and middle schools reopened Monday. Superintendent Tim Throne says those schools have been staffed with therapy dogs, counselors, trauma specialists and private security to help returning students feel safe. The measures will be in place through the end of the school year.

Elementary school students will not be required to use clear backpacks. But they must keep their backpacks in their lockers or cubbies and will not be allowed to carry them during the school day.

The district has not set a date for the high school to reopen, but Throne has said he hoped to do so by the end of January.

"We continue to make progress in the reconstruction of Oxford High School and we are working through the enormous number of logistics involved in our safe and soft reopening plan," Throne said.