Oxford Middle School administrators found themselves busy Tuesday, May 5 after a video of an altercation between a black female student and white male student, during which threats, foul language and racial slurs were used, went viral on social media late Monday night. The video was posted, but has since been removed.
The female student was identified as Tatyana Harris after she appeared on a local television news broadcast to talk about the incident.
According to a press release issued by the school district, the incident took place nearly an hour after the school day ended.
‘The behavior by all parties witnessed in the video fell far short of the values expected of Oxford Community Schools students and will not be tolerated. There were teachers and other adults in the building at the time of the incident, and they responded to the situation as soon as it was recognized,? stated the press release. ‘The middle school has been proactively working to discourage loitering after school and recently addressed the issue with a message to parents in late April.?
According to OMS Principal Dacia Beazley, ‘The administration took action immediately after the incident on Monday with the information that was available at that time and administrators are conducting an on-going investigation into the occurrences in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the event.?
The male involved in the incident was immediately suspended for three days and Harris stayed home for the week due to personal reasons.
‘Once our investigation is complete, we (will) follow the guidelines set forth in the district code of conduct and the board of education anti-bullying policy, so that we ensure all students are treated appropriately,? she added.
School officials could not confirm or deny due to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) laws whether or not the students had returned to school this week.
As for the students who were bystanders during the altercation, Beazley said each of them is being addressed individually.
While the damage has already been done with the video going public, the school used the incident as learning tool to ‘help them grow in their understanding and decision-making.?
Beazley started the day off with a message to the students (see below).
After her statement, OMS teachers spent part of first hour guiding a discussion about what could be learned from this incident. The focus of the discussions was on the climate and culture of the school.
‘Students were asked to discuss what they thought others would think of the culture at OMS after seeing the video and what steps can be taken to help rebuild the climate of the school,? she said.
As far as the incident, Beazley said it was an isolated one. ‘We have not previously dealt with or seen an incident like the one on Monday,? she said.
She noted she knew this because OMS employs a video surveillance system and has a full-time Dean of Students who handles all student conflict allegations.
‘The middle school also participates in a bully prevention program run by the district,? Beazley said. ‘All teachers are trained in Olweus prevention measures. Training includes recognizing types of bullying, how to address the bully, the victim and the bystanders.?
While the video sheds a negative light on the school, she hopes that better days are ahead
‘Oxford Middle School has received an outpouring of support from our Wildcat family who knows that an isolated incident does not define our school or our community,? she said.
Police involvement
According to Oakland County Sheriff’s Lt. Scott Patterson, commander of the Oxford Township substation, they initially got involved in the case after receiving a call from the district requesting extra patrol.
‘Her dad called the school and they were concerned about possible protesters at the school because he seemed to be upset about the situation,? Patterson said. ‘That was the initial thing. We took a complaint . . . the morning after the incident. So we provided them with extra patrol. We documented the request (for) extra patrol and the information reported at that time.?
Because Harris and her family live outside Oxford Township, her mother, Florissa Bell, filed a complaint with another sheriff’s office, the Oxford substation was called to handle the complaint.
‘When we were notified to do that, I assigned my detective bureau, being assisted by Sgt. (Jerry) DeRosia and myself, to try and expedite these things, to get all the factual information we can get because that’s what we do in its entirety, so the prosecutor’s office can review the whole incident,? Patterson said.
He also noted that the prosecutor’s office is the one that determines whether or not any charges will be issued and if they are issued, whether those involved would be charged as juveniles or adults.
‘We’re pretty much just in the investigation (stage of the) process to provide them with that information,? he said. ‘The schools have been extremely cooperative, providing us with information (about) the individuals who were involved or witnesses, video (of) any type of internal statements they have obtained. They’ve bent over backwards to cooperate with the investigation at this point.?
Superintendent Tim Throne told this reporter Friday the sheriff’s personnel were at the middle school that day conducting interviews with the students who witnessed the incident.
‘All the parents were called whose students were involved in some way and (they) gave permission for those interviews to happen between the witnesses and the sheriff’s department,? he added. ‘We’re moving forward, we’re helping law enforcement do whatever they need to do.?
Patterson was not available for further comment Monday. As far as specifics regarding how the students could be disciplined by the district, Throne said he was limited as to what he could say due to FERPA laws.
‘While I believe that there could be discipline for a multitude of students (involved), what that discipline is and (what) that looks like we don’t know yet,? he said. ‘Whether or not the discipline will be handled by the board of education or internally by the administration at the middle school will depend upon the infraction and the rules of the school’s Code of Conduct.?
The Code of Conduct is available on the school’s website www.oxfordschools.org

OMS principal’s message to students
‘Today is about healing and moving forward in a way that brings us together so that something like this never happens again. ‘We will take this situation and turn it into an opportunity for all of us to learn and become better. ‘The most important part of my job is making sure all of you are safe. I want you all to know that what happened yesterday hurt me as your principal and as a person. ‘I am going to work even harder to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
‘Racial discrimination happens every day in our nation. ‘Unfortunately, I’ve learned that can happen at our school. ‘It will never be tolerated. ‘I want all of us to use this time to really talk about how we change starting today. ‘I know we talk about standing up and not being a bystander, yet it’s clear we aren’t there yet – when no one stands up to hate, we have a long way to go. I believe in this school, I believe in this staff, and I believe in you. ‘How do we take a really sad moment and turn it into something that makes each of us better, and in turn makes our school better – a place where everyone is accepted – no matter what? ‘It starts with kindness…and it starts with each one of you.? ?