Michigan high school reopens nearly 2 months after shooting that left 4 students dead

The Michigan high school where four students were fatally shot in late November reopened Monday for the first time since the attack.

Oxford High School students had been attending classes at other buildings since Jan. 10.

Everything "went very well" Monday morning as staff and students returned to classes, said Oxford Community Schools spokesperson Dani Stublensky.

Six students and a teacher were also injured during the Nov. 30 shooting.

A fellow student, Ethan Crumbley, 15, is charged with murder and other crimes.

His parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, also face charges. They are accused of making a gun accessible to their son and refusing to take him home when school staff expressed concern about his writings earlier on the day of the shooting. 

The high school is in Oakland County, about 50 kilometres north of Detroit.

The school's interior has been renovated since the shooting, with new paint, wall graphics and ceiling tiles.

Principal Steve Wolf said in a video posted Sunday that construction crews had been working "tirelessly" on the renovations and school staff worked hard to "prepare our students for a safe return to school."

"We have been through so much to get to this moment. We've been grieving together, we've been praying together, we've attended funerals, vigils and memorials, and we have been absolutely heartbroken. And we've been angry," Wolf said in the video.

"Yet we've been determined to carry on ... And we are reclaiming our high school back."

The district asked reporters to stay away from the school campus Monday.

"The kids are just trying to heal and recover," Stublensky said.

"As a community, we will get through this with love and grace for one another," Supt. Tim Throne said last week, referring to the school's reopening and legal cases related to the shooting.

A temporary memorial set up outside the school was removed before students returned. Throne said experts advised removing it would help students "further their healing process."

A permanent memorial is planned.