(WXYZ) — The same day the families of three injured Michigan State University shooting victims received a nearly $30 million settlement for their trauma, Oxford families also received a settlement offer from Oxford Community Schools — but they say the way it was delivered and the amount is unacceptable.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report:
In November of 2021, Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling, and Madisyn Baldwin were killed in a shooting at Oxford High School. The parents of the victims say they received an email midday on Tuesday, offering each family estate $500,000 each, and that they needed to accept the offer in less than 24 hours.
“That’s how little that you value our children?” Steve St. Juliana, Hana's father, told the Oxford Schools Board of Education on June 10.
St. Juliana spoke out against a letter he and the rest of the families who lost their children that day received from the school district’s attorney.
Here's what the letter stated:
"As you know, on May 28, 2025, the Michigan Supreme Court entered an order rejecting the argument that Bauserman overruled Jones. As a result, state constitutional claims against public school districts and their employees remain barred.
We are making this final offer to your clients:
Estate of Hana St. Juliana $500,000
This offer expires at 8:00 AM EST, Wednesday, June 11, 2025."
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St. Juliana declined the offer that he calls insulting.
"You can shove your offer," he told the board on Tuesday.
And he’s not the only one. WXYZ spoke to the father of Tate Myre, who told us he received the same email with the same ultimatum.
"They put a price tag on my kid," said Buck Myre.
WXYZ spoke to one of the attorneys involved in the MSU settlement, and they say the Oxford families deserve the same, if not more.
Related Story: Three mass shooting victims reach $29.5 million settlement with MSU
"If you look at what happened, sadly to the Oxford survivors and deceased, the law did not allow them to get some sort of justice. And we need to have reform in our laws to have justice for all survivors," said Mick Grewal, attorney for Troy Forbush and Nathan Statly.
We reached out to the school district to see what they had to say about the offer.
The Oxford Schools Board of Education shared this statement with us:
"Last night, during the public comment portion of our board meeting, we heard from a father who tragically lost his child in the school shooting at Oxford High School that forever changed the lives of so many, most deeply the families whose children were taken. His words were powerful and heartbreaking.
We understand that the letter from legal counsel caused additional pain. We are deeply sorry for the impact it had, especially on those already carrying profound grief. The Board was unaware of this specific correspondence. It does not reflect the depth of our compassion or the level of support these families deserve. We recognize that the approach felt impersonal and insufficient, and for that, we are deeply apologetic.
The Board remains steadfast in our commitment to treating every family with dignity, compassion, and respect as we navigate these difficult legal proceedings."
"It was just a slap in the face. I don't really know what else to say, I mean I feel like the school district and our government doesn't have any humanity," said Myre.
