President Obama signed 23 executive orders Wednesday in response to the massacre that claimed the lives of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last month.
That’s the take that two leading experts on gun control and campus safety, respectively, and a university president had on the 23 executive orders President Obama signed Wednesday in response to the massacre that claimed the lives of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last month.
Of the 23 executive orders, at least two will have a direct impact in the realm of higher education—one could lead to more federally-funded research into gun violence and another seeks to boost campuses’ ability to respond to emergencies. And given the fact that several recent campus shootings involved shooters with significant mental health issues, other orders that relate to mental health services could be of benefit as well, the experts and campus president said.
Steven J. Healy, former police chief at Princeton University and now managing partner at Margolis Healy, a firm that helps institutions of higher learning deal with campus threats and emergencies, said he was particularly pleased with the president’s order that calls for the development of “model emergency response” plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.
“We’ve known for a long time, since 9/11, that there has been a significant void in emergency planning in both K-12 and higher education,” Healy said.
Although some of the void was closed after 9/11 and the 2007 shooting massacre at Virginia Tech, given the sheer number of K-12 schools and colleges and universities, a void still exists, Healy said.
“So whatever resources Congress can provide to help K-12 and higher education enhance their ability to prepare for and respond to emergency incidents is welcome,” Healy said.
