San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Verdict a win for parental accountability
As a parent for nearly 20 years, I have long thought that members of my tribe get away with too much.
Now, thanks to a Michigan jury that last week handed down a correct — and historic — verdict, one parent has been held responsible for failing at the most important job they will ever have.
Jennifer Crumbley was on trial for her role in a 2021 mass shooting carried out by her son, Ethan, at a high school in Oxford, Mich. He killed four students and wounded seven other people.
The shooter’s culpability was never in question. Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to one count of terrorism resulting in death, four counts of murder and 19 other charges stemming from the rampage. Last year, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
But prosecutors didn’t stop there. In a novel legal strategy, they charged both of Ethan’s parents, Jennifer and James. In the narrative prosecutors presented to the jury, the Crumbleys failed to address glaring warning signs and get their son the mental health care he needed.
Prosecutors also argued that, on the morning of the shooting, the Crumbleys brushed off the concerns of school officials who worried about Ethan’s violent drawings. Finally, prosecutors said, not only did the Crumbleys fail to prevent their son from getting his hands on the weapon he used, but James actually bought the gun for Ethan just a few days before the rampage.
Clearly, these folks are not in the running for Parents of the Year.
Prosecutors said Jennifer Crumbley texted her son “you have to learn not to get caught” after he was allegedly caught in school researching ammunition on his phone. After the shooting, she acknowledged in a message to a friend: “I failed as a parent. I failed miserably.”
Not many people would argue with that. Certainly not the jury that found the mother guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter. She could get up to 15 years in prison for each count.
The trial for James Crumbley, who faces the same charges as his wife, is set for March.
This story might first appear to be about one parent’s failings, but it’s actually something much bigger. It’s about reintroducing a concept that used to be considered the norm in American society: accountability.
There is a sickness infecting America where people arrogantly refuse to take responsibility for their actions. Few people own up to what they did wrong, finding it easier to play the victim instead.
I see this phenomenon every day when I cover politicians.
Two of the biggest whiners are likely to be on the ballot in November: President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump.
For those Americans who also happen to be parents, the absence of responsibility now extends to our children. Somehow our hands are clean. Nothing our kids do is ever our fault. There is always someone, or something, else to blame. The idea that we, as parents, are uniquely responsible for how our children turn out seems old-fashioned.
If your son bullies a classmate, it must be in response to peer pressure. If your daughter struggles with depression, it has to be the fault of social media companies. If your honor student gets addicted to opioids, Mexican drug cartels that are to blame.
I have to wonder: At what point did parents get out of the accountability game? What generation was the first to say: “Sorry, kids. If something goes wrong, you’re on your own”?
We accept that parents never stop loving their children, but at what point do we stop taking even a smidgen of responsibility for what those children do? If you’re still accepting compliments when your kids do something right, you should also be able to shoulder some criticism when they do something wrong.
After the news broke that Jennifer Crumbley had been convicted, journalists and other observers began to speculate that this case could set a precedent for how prosecutors react to school shootings.
That would be a good start. But there could be a bigger play here. Let’s hope the conviction — which made history — also makes change. Let’s hope it’s the beginning of a new era of accountability. It’s overdue.