REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT 

ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE 

VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

June 13, 2007
REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

“We reflect on what has been lost and comfort 

those enduring a profound grief. And somehow we 

know that a brighter morning will come. We know 

this because together Americans have overcome 

many evils and found strength through many 

storms.” 

 —President George W. Bush 

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June 13,2007 

The President 

The White House 

Washington, D.C. 20500 

Dear Mr. President: 

In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, you charged us to travel to communities across our Nation to meet with 

a wide range of leaders on the broader issues raised by this tragedy, and to report back to you what we learned, 

together with our recommendations for how the Federal government canhelp avoid such tragedies in the future. 

The enclosed report summarizes our £indingsand provides our recommendations developed through discussions 

with educators, mental health experts, law enforcement and other key state and local officials hm more than a 

dozen states. 

We found great commonality in the themes that emerged fmm our meetings. Following the Virginia Tech 

tragedy and similar incidents of violence that have occurred in rexnt years, states and local wmmunities are 

carefully considering whether they have properly addressed and balanced the fundamental interests of privacy and 

individual Wm,safety and security, and assisting those with mental health needs in getting appropriate care. 

Although state and local leaders recognized and underscored that these issues primarily must be resolved at the 

state and local level, these events make all of us ask whether there is more we can and should be doing. 

As we note in our report, our recommendations are not a panacea. Rather, along with identifying steps that we 

cantake, the report serves to focus our attention on the issues that must be part of the ongoing national dialogue 

as we continue to protect the Wms we enjoy in our society, while appropriately minimizing risks to public 

safety. 


We look forward to continuing our collaboration on the Federal level, as well as with states and localities, in our 

ongoing efforts to address these fundamental issues and take concrete steps to promote the well being and safety 

of all Americans. 

Sincerelv. 

~ichael0.Leavitt 

secretary 

Department of Health and 

HumanServices 

Alberto R. Gonzales 

Attorney General 

Department of Justice 

garet Spel s

Q*Department of Education 
REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................1

KEY FINDINGS.....................................................................................2

CANVASSING THE NATION ....................................................................3

COMMON THEMES AND OBSERVATIONS..................................................5

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................6

Critical Information Sharing Faces Substantial Obstacles.....................7

Accurate and Complete Information on Indivduals Prohibited 

from Possessing Firearms is Essential to Keep Guns Out of the 

Wrong Hands.............................................................................. 10 

Improved Awareness and Communication are Key to Prevention ........ 12

It is Critical to Get People with Mental Illness Services They Need ...... 14

Where We Know What to Do, We Have to be Better at Doing It.......... 16 

CONCLUSION .................................................................................... 19

ENDNOTES........................................................................................ 20

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

 

INTRODUCTION 

On April 21, 2007, in response to the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech, 

President George W. Bush directed Secretaries Michael Leavitt and Margaret 

Spellings and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to travel to communities 

across our nation and to meet with educators, mental health experts, law 

enforcement and state and local officials to discuss the broader issues raised 

by this tragedy. The President instructed Secretary Leavitt to summarize what 

they learned from these meetings and report back with recommendations 

about how the federal government can help avoid such tragedies in the future. 

The Virginia Tech tragedy was deeply felt throughout America. People 

everywhere we traveled extended their hearts and prayers to the families and 

friends of the victims. The tragedy also raised issues with which our society 

has long grappled. Questions were raised about the proper balance between 

providing for the safety and security of our communities, while protecting 

privacy and liberty, and helping people with mental illness get the care they 

need. Our meetings and this report were not, and could not be, an attempt to 

resolve or reset the balance of all these interests. Nor did people with whom 

we met feel we could eliminate all risk, and at the same time maintain a free 

and open society. But there was a shared sense that we must not miss the 

opportunity to learn from this event and do what we can to make our 

communities safer. 

This report does not seek to investigate the specifics of the Virginia Tech 

tragedy itself. That work is currently being done by the Virginia Tech Review 

Panel appointed by Governor Kaine. Instead, this report summarizes the 

major recurring themes we heard in our visits across the country. It includes 

critical steps state and local leaders identified to address school violence and 

mental illness at the community level. 

The report includes recommended actions the federal government can take to 

support state and local communities and ensure that the federal government 

and federal law are not obstacles to achieving these goals. The recommended 

action items are not, individually or together, a panacea for the many complex 

issues our society confronts in trying to prevent another tragedy. Rather, they 

are an attempt to frame the issues and identify tangible steps we can take 

over time to help prevent events like the Virginia Tech tragedy. 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

KEY FINDINGS 

 Critical Information Sharing Faces Substantial Obstacles: 

Education officials, healthcare providers, law enforcement personnel, 

and others are not fully informed about when they can share critical 

information on persons who are likely to be a danger to self or others, 

and the resulting confusion may chill legitimate information sharing.

 Accurate and Complete Information on Individuals Prohibited 

from Possessing Firearms is Essential to Keep Guns Out of the 

Wrong Hands: 

State laws and practices do not uniformly ensure that information on 

persons restricted from possessing firearms is appropriately captured 

and available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System 

(NICS). 

 Improved Awareness and Communication are Key to Prevention: 

It is important that parents, students, and teachers learn to recognize 

warning signs and encourage those who need help to seek it, so that 

people receive the care they need and our communities are safe. 

 It is Critical to Get People with Mental Illness the Services They 

Need: 

Meeting the challenge of adequate and appropriate community 

integration of people with mental illness requires effective coordination 

of community service providers who are sensitive to the interests of 

safety, privacy, and provision of care. 

 Where We Know What to Do, We Have to be Better at Doing It: 

For the many states and communities that have already adopted 

programs, including emergency preparedness and violence prevention 

plans, to address school and community violence, the challenge is fully 

implementing these programs through practice and effective 

communication. 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

CANVASSING THE NATION 

To carry out the President’s charge promptly, Secretary Leavitt, Secretary 

Spellings and Attorney General Gonzales led federal delegations to meet with 

leaders in a dozen states between April 26, and May 4, 2007. Secretary 

Leavitt traveled to Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and 

West Virginia; Secretary Spellings traveled to California and New Mexico, and 

Attorney General Gonzales traveled to Indiana, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. On 

May 16, 2007, the Secretaries and the Attorney General also participated in a 

phone conference with high-ranking Virginia officials convened by Governor 

Kaine. At each session, the Secretaries and the Attorney General were 

accompanied by high-ranking officials and experts from each of the other two 

federal Departments. 

Governors and state officials responded quickly to our requests to convene key 

leadership. State and local leaders from a wide range of sectors actively 

participated and provided their individual input in each of the sessions. In 

most states, the Governors’ offices hosted the events, which were typically 

attended by senior state leadership, including Governors, Lieutenant 

Governors, Attorneys General, and state legislators. They were joined by state 

officials and experts from across the spectrum of the mental health, education, 

and law enforcement communities. The number of participants at each 

session ranged from 20 to 90. Sessions often included separate “breakout” 

discussions among mental health, education, and law enforcement experts, 

followed by a concluding plenary session to share and further discuss issues 

raised. 

From the mental health community, participants typically included 

commissioners of state departments of health and/or mental health, 

counselors, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals at schools and 

institutions of higher education, community mental health providers, and 

mental health advocates. From the education community, numerous college 

presidents participated, along with superintendents of public and higher 

education, school security officers, university officials, parents, and students. 

From the law enforcement community, the chiefs of numerous campus police 

forces participated, along with state and local law enforcement leaders, state 

departments of homeland security, local United States Attorneys, and 

representatives from the local Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the 

United States Secret Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, 

and Explosives (ATF) offices. 

The meetings took place at universities, community colleges, libraries, state 

capitols, state agencies, and other sites throughout the country. They focused 

on practices that have worked and obstacles that state and local leaders 

continue to face, as well as possible solutions to these obstacles. In each 

state, there were rich and informed discussions among educators, mental 

health professionals, law enforcement officials, and community representatives 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

and advocates. In some instances, our visits complemented continuing 

statewide attention to these issues; in others, our visits served to launch state 

initiatives. For example, in Colorado, our visit coincided with a conference 

sponsored by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office and Governor Ritter on 

school safety; in Oklahoma, Governor Henry had already established a task 

force to evaluate similar issues; and in Florida, Governor Crist issued an 

executive order at the outset of our meeting establishing a workgroup to look 

at these issues, which issued a comprehensive report on May 24, 2007. In 

Virginia, Governor Kaine appointed a panel that is thoroughly reviewing the 

specific circumstances that occurred at Virginia Tech. 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

COMMON THEMES AND OBSERVATIONS 

There was universal recognition that the issues are complex and that they 

represent critical, sensitive, and long-standing societal questions of balancing 

individual liberty and privacy with safety and security. All agreed that in a 

country of more than 300 million people, it is impossible to eliminate all risks. 

We can not maintain a free and open society and eliminate the possibility that 

violence in schools, offices, or malls will happen again. The focus of the 

meetings, therefore, was on how to minimize appropriately the possibility that 

these situations may occur in the future. 

States, which have long sought to address the difficult balance among privacy, 

security and ensuring that people in need receive appropriate care, also report 

that they may be revisiting their approach in coming months, as tragic events 

such as Virginia Tech sharpen their focus on whether the balances that have 

been struck are correctly calibrated or whether there is a need to implement 

more effectively decisions that have already been made. 

The meetings served to underscore that universal, “one-size-fits-all” solutions 

are unlikely to be helpful. Rather, appropriate responses to the issues must be 

tailored to a wide range of circumstances, depending, for example, on whether 

the context is a college or university, elementary or secondary school, whether 

the area is rural or urban, whether the setting is a single building, an 

expansive campus, or integrated in a city setting, or whether the threat being 

addressed is from a person who is familiar to the setting, or is a stranger to it. 

While most discussions focused on school violence, both at the K–12 and postsecondary level, there also were discussions about preventing violence in other 

public or community settings. 

In each state, mental health experts were quick to point out that most people 

who are violent do not have a mental illness, and most people who have 

mental illness are not violent. Meeting participants expressed hope that the 

work being done at the federal and state levels continues to de-stigmatize 

mental illness, thereby normalizing requests for help. 

Throughout these discussions, participants shared concerns about the 

increasing number of people with serious mental illness in schools, jails, and 

prisons. With respect to higher education, the perceived increase in students 

with mental illness was attributed to two factors: advances in treatment and 

supports enable more people with mental illness to attend college and many 

serious mental illnesses develop or manifest themselves at the age at which 

people typically enroll in and attend institutions of higher education. Many 

states are evaluating how their mental health systems provide services, 

including emergency services, to persons with mental illness, as they pursue 

the important goal of community integration. 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

Our meetings across the country produced comments on issues that spanned a 

wide range of topics from individuals from many disciplines and backgrounds. 

However, we heard and discussed several recurring and interconnected themes 

that are highlighted as key findings at the outset of this report: 

 Critical Information Sharing Faces Substantial Obstacles 

 Accurate and Complete Information on Individuals Prohibited from 

Possessing Firearms is Essential to Keep Guns Out of the Wrong Hands 

 Improved Awareness and Communication are Key to Prevention 

 It is Critical to Get People with Mental Illness the Services They Need 

 Where We Know What to Do, We Have to be Better at Doing It 

This report summarizes the recurring major themes that led to each finding, 

along with critical steps state and local leaders identified as being taken, or 

needing to be taken, to address school violence and mental illness. Though 

state and local leaders pointed out that these issues reside primarily with 

states and localities, we have concluded there are several things the federal 

government also can and should do to help. Thus, this report also identifies 

steps our three federal agencies can take to ensure federal law and activities 

support, rather than impede, state and local efforts to deal with the complex 

issues raised by the Virginia Tech tragedy. It adds to a significant array of 

efforts that the federal and state governments have already undertaken to 

address these types of issues.1

In addition, participants also cited the important role that the U.S. Department 

of Homeland Security plays in assisting the states and localities in conducting 

threat assessments and risk preparedness. A number of the federal 

recommendations we identify in the report suggest opportunities for our 

agencies and Homeland Security to work together to better assist states and 

localities in these functions. 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

 Critical Information Sharing Faces Substantial Obstacles 

We repeatedly heard reports of “information silos” within educational 

institutions and among educational staff, mental health providers, and 

public safety officials that impede appropriate information sharing. These 

concerns are heightened by confusion about the laws that govern the 

sharing of information. Throughout our meetings and in every breakout 

session, we heard differing interpretations and confusion about legal 

restrictions on the ability to share information about a person who may be 

a threat to self or to others. In addition to federal laws that may affect 

information sharing practices, such as the Health Insurance Portability and 

Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule and the Family Educational Rights 

and Privacy Act (FERPA), a broad patchwork of state laws and regulations 

also impact how information is shared on the state level. In some 

situations, these state laws and regulations are more restrictive than 

federal laws. 

A consistent theme and broad perception in our meetings was that this 

confusion and differing interpretations about state and federal privacy laws 

and regulations impede appropriate information sharing. In some sessions, 

there were concerns and confusion about the potential liability of teachers, 

administrators, or institutions that could arise from sharing information, or 

from not sharing information, under privacy laws, as well as laws designed 

to protect individuals from discrimination on the basis of mental illness. It 

was almost universally observed that these fears and misunderstandings 

likely limit the transfer of information in more significant ways than is 

required by law. Particularly, although participants in each state meeting 

were aware of both HIPAA and FERPA, there was significant 

misunderstanding about the scope and application of these laws and their 

interrelation with state laws. In a number of discussions, participants 

reported circumstances in which they incorrectly believed that they were 

subject to liability or foreclosed from sharing information under federal law. 

Other participants were unsure whether and how HIPAA and FERPA actually 

limit or allow information to be shared and unaware of exceptions that 

could allow relevant information to be shared. 

Of course, a predicate to sharing information is recognizing when 

individuals pose a threat to themselves or others, and when intervention to 

pre-empt the threat is appropriate. In this regard, participants flagged the 

need for effective, evidence-based, inter-disciplinary tools to conduct a 

reliable assessment of the degree, type, and immediacy of safety risk the 

individual poses. 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

State and Local Recommendations 

• Increase information sharing and collaboration among state and 

local communities, educators, mental health officials, and law 

enforcement to better provide care and detect, intervene, and 

respond to potential incidents of violence in schools and other 

venues. 

• Provide accurate information to help ensure that family members, 

educational administrators, mental health providers, and other 

appropriate persons understand when and how they are legally 

entitled to share and receive information about mental illness, 

and appropriately do so, particularly where college and school-age 

children and youth are involved, for the protection and well-being 

of the student and the community. 

• Along with reviewing federal laws that may apply, clarify and 

promote wider understanding about how state law limits or all

the sharing of information about individuals who may pose a 

danger to themselves or others, and examine state law to 

determine if legislative or regulatory changes are needed to 

achieve the appropriate balance of privacy and security. 

ows 

Recommended Federal Action 

 

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• The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and 

Education should develop additional guidance that clarifies how 

information can be shared legally under HIPAA and FERPA and 

disseminate it widely to the mental health, education, and law 

enforcement communities. The U.S. Department of Education 

should ensure that parents and school officials understand how 

and when post-secondary institutions can share information on 

college students with parents. In addition, the U.S. Departments 

of Education and Health and Human Services should consider 

whether further actions are needed to balance more appropriately 

the interests of safety, privacy, and treatment implicated by 

FERPA and HIPAA. 

• The U.S. Department of Education should ensure that its 

emergency management grantees and state and local 

communities receiving training through the program have clear 

guidance on the sharing of information as it relates to educational 

records and FERPA.
REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

• Federal agencies should continue to work together, and with 

states and appropriate partners, to improve, expand, coordinate, 

and disseminate information and best practices in behavioral 

analysis, threat assessments, and emergency preparedness, for 

colleges and universities.2 

• The U.S. Department of Education, in collaboration with the U.S. 

Secret Service and the Department of Justice, should explore 

research of targeted violence in institutions of higher education3

and continue to share existing threat assessment methodology 

with interested institutions.4

 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

 Accurate and Complete Information on Individuals Prohibited from 

 Possessing Firearms is Essential to Keep Guns Out of the Wrong 

 Hands 

At the majority of our meetings, participants focused on the imperative to 

ensure the effectiveness of existing federal firearms laws, and facilitate better 

cooperation and communication between states and the federal government to 

ensure that firearms background checks are thorough and complete. 

At some of our sessions, participants also commented about other aspects of 

the enduring debate over gun control. For example, participants addressed 

the issue of firearms on campus, some in favor and some against. Campus 

law enforcement participants also discussed their enforcement practices and 

the need for education about existing campus policies on the possession of 

firearms on campus. But the focus of discussions related to gun policy was on 

increasing the effectiveness of current federal firearms regulation, which is 

limited by divergent state practice. 

Only 23 states currently provide any information to the NICS on persons 

disqualified from possessing firearms under federal law for reasons related to 

mental health, and many of those that do provide information provide very few 

records. For the NICS to be maximally effective in keeping firearms out of the 

hands of persons prohibited by federal law, including those prohibited by virtue 

of reportable and qualifying mental health history, all states need to 

understand the full scope of the existing federal laws and submit, or make 

accessible, appropriate information to the NICS. 

Some states reported that state privacy laws prevented them from sharing 

information with the NICS. Other concerns centered on limited resources to 

submit or make available required information.5

 Many participants suggested 

the need to evaluate the existing approach in their state to sharing mental 

health information and how their state regulates access to firearms by persons 

with mental illness who are at risk of injury to themselves or others.

State and Local Recommendations 

• Prioritize and address legal and financial barriers to submitting all 

relevant disqualifying information to the NICS and other crucial 

inter-agency information sharing systems to prevent individuals 

who are prohibited from possessing firearms by federal or state 

law from acquiring firearms from federally licensed firearms 

dealers. 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

Recommended Federal Action 

• The U.S. Department of Justice, through the FBI and ATF, should 

reiterate the scope and requirements of federal firearms laws, 

including guidance on the federal firearms prohibitions in the Gun 

Control Act of 1968 and how to provide information to the NICS 

on persons whose receipt of a firearm would violate state or 

federal law.6

• The U.S. Department of Justice, through the FBI and ATF, should 

continue to encourage state and federal agencies to provide all 

appropriate information to the NICS so that required background 

checks are thorough and complete.7

 

• Some states may need to evaluate whether changes or 

modifications to state law are necessary to make more relevant 

information available to NICS. The U.S. Department of Justice 

should work with states to provide appropriate guidance on 

policies and procedures that would ensure that relevant and 

complete information is available for background checks. 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

 Improved Awareness and Communication are Key to Prevention 

Recognizing that there were warning signs that preceded many school violence 

incidents, participants in our meetings discussed ways to address school 

cultures, including tacit “codes of silence,” that may impede identifying and 

responding to those in crisis. Students may know of someone in need or 

someone who has made a threat, but frequently they do not share that 

information with individuals who can take appropriate action. Participants 

stressed the need to promote cultures of trust, respect, and open 

communication, to reduce student isolation, to normalize the act of seeking 

help by and for those who pose a threat to self or others, and to de-stigmatize 

mental illness. Underscoring the theme that information sharing is key, 

participants repeatedly identified the need for communication strategies that 

build bridges between education and mental health systems. 

Participants in our meetings also focused on promoting prevention and early 

intervention for children with, or at risk for, mental illness through early 

detection, referral, and treatment. They additionally highlighted the 

importance of ensuring that parents, teachers and students understand and 

are sensitive to warning signs and know what to do if they encounter someone 

exhibiting these signs. Effective practices shared during our meetings included 

identifying responsible and appropriate individuals with whom to share 

concerns, and creating interdisciplinary teams to evaluate the information, 

assess the degree of threat, and intervene to pre-empt the threat. State 

practices vary from using toll-free call centers to “risk assessment” teams in 

schools to receive, evaluate, and act on threat information. 

State and Local Recommendations 

 

• Develop cultures within schools and institutions of higher 

education that promote safety, trust, respect, and open 

communication. Create environments conducive to seeking help 

and develop culturally appropriate messages to de-stigmatize 

mental illness and mental health treatment. 

• Educate and train parents, teachers, and students to recognize 

warning signs and known indicators of violence and mental illness 

and to alert those who can provide for safety and treatment.

• Establish and publicize widely a mechanism to report and respond 

to reported threats of violence. 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

Recommended Federal Action 

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should work 

through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 

10 Academic Centers of Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention 

and collaborate with the U.S. Department of Education to identify 

opportunities to expand CDC’s “Choose Respect” initiative so that 

it includes efforts to develop healthy school climates and prevent 

violence in schools.8

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should 

include a focus on college students in its mental health public 

education campaign to encourage young people to support their 

friends who are experiencing mental health problems.9

• The U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, 

and Justice should continue to work together and with states and

local communities to improve and expand their colla

their “Safe Schools/Healthy Students” program.10 

boration on 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

 It is Critical to Get People with Mental Illness the Services They 

 Need 

In each state meeting, concerns were raised about the capacity of the state 

and local mental health delivery systems to meet the full range of mental 

health needs. Participants voiced concerns about the availability of resources 

to provide timely and appropriate treatment and services and an insufficient 

number of skilled mental health workers, which result in waiting lists for 

services. A number of participants also shared their perception of an 

increasing number of students with serious mental health issues and the lack 

of adequate services to support them, particularly at college and university 

settings. In some state meetings, issues were raised about the particular 

challenges of providing mental health services in rural and underserved areas. 

In this area, participants stressed the need to expand their use of telemedicine 

and other innovative technologies, including electronic health records. All 

agreed that greater emphasis is needed on creating a coordinated system of 

community mental health services. 

Throughout our discussions, participants talked about the importance of 

community integration and federal efforts to work with states to facilitate 

transformation of their mental health systems, which are hallmarks of the 

President’s New Freedom Initiative. De-stigmatizing and raising awareness of 

mental illness and the need for services that are evidence-based, recovery 

focused, and consumer and family-driven were also common themes. In this 

regard, the importance of family-centered care and support were repeatedly 

mentioned, along with the need to gear services and treatments in ways that 

give consumers and families meaningful choices among treatment options. 

Meeting the challenge of adequate and appropriate community integration of 

people with mental illness requires effective coordination of community service 

providers who are sensitive to the interests of safety, privacy, and provision of 

care. Many states are evaluating how their systems provide services to 

persons with mental illness, including emergency services and commitment 

procedures, as they pursue the important goal of community integration. 

Participants also recognized that to ensure that those individuals who need 

mental health services are receiving them, it is critical that states have 

adequate systems for monitoring and following up, particularly where a legal 

ruling mandates a course of treatment. 

To maximize early detection and intervention to address mental health issues, 

participants discussed the importance of integration between primary care and 

mental health services and between primary and specialty care for persons 

with mental illnesses, including specialized services for children and young 

adults. In this area, training primary health care providers in basic detection 

techniques and ensuring they are connected with the mental health delivery 

system are key to getting support and help to those who are in need at an 

early stage. 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

State and Local Recommendations 

• Evaluate state and local community mental health systems to 

ensure their adequacy in providing a full array and continuum of 

services, including mental health services for students, and in 

providing meaningful choices among treatment options.

• Integrate mental health screening, treatment, and referral with 

primary health care.

• Review emergency services and commitment laws to ensure the 

standards are clear, appropriate, and strike the proper balance 

among liberty and safety for the individual and the community, 

and appropriate treatment. 

• Where a legal ruling mandates a course of treatment, make sure 

that systems are in place to ensure thorough follow-up.

Recommended Federal Action 

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should 

convene the directors of state mental health, substance abuse, 

and Medicaid agencies and constituent organizations to explore 

ways to expand and better coordinate delivery of evidence-based

practices and community-based care to adults and children with 

mental and substance use disorders. 

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should 

examine current strategies for implementing innovative 

technologies in the mental health field to enhance service 

capacity, through such means as telemedicine, electronic health

records, health information technology, and electronic decision 

support tools in health care.

• The interagency Federal Executive Steering Committee on Mental 

Health led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services11 should promote federal agency collaboration to support 

innovations in mental health services and supports for school 

aged children and young adults in primary care and specialty 

mental health settings using evidence-based programs and 

innovative technologies. The Committee should also examine 

ways of disseminating more widely state and local grant 

opportunities that focus on detecting and treating behavioral 

health and violence issues with children and youth.

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

 Where We Know What to Do, We Have to be Better at Doing It 

It is a sad fact that many states have had experiences with school violence; 

but as a result, many have already thought critically and extensively about the 

issue. State and local governments often have prevention and response plans 

and, in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech tragedy, many states have 

established task forces or are otherwise evaluating whether and how to adapt 

existing school violence strategies to the unique environment of higher 

education. 

Many states reported that they have emergency management plans in place 

and that many schools, including institutions of higher education, have 

developed protocols and strategies for preventing and responding to 

emergencies. These plans and strategies are the product of previous 

experience with natural disasters and school violence, as well as more general 

emergency preparedness in a post-September 11th world. In some states, 

state and local community preparedness grants from the U.S. Departments of 

Homeland Security and Health and Human Services include emergency 

preparedness planning that extends beyond natural disasters and terrorist 

attacks to school violence and other violent episodes in public places. The U.S. 

Department of Justice similarly makes grants to states that can be used for 

such purposes. In other states, participants observed that existing plans 

might not contemplate evolving threats to public safety. Promising practices 

and examples of comprehensive emergency management planning efforts 

currently exist and are being used across the country, but participants 

acknowledged that more could be done to disseminate best practices. 

The U.S. Department of Education has created guidance on emergency 

management planning for the K–12 school community, but institutions of 

higher education face some unique challenges, including the age of students, 

size of student body, and physical layout of campuses. Some participants 

noted that emergency preparedness plans crafted for the smaller and more 

contained environment of K-12 education might not be easily applied to more 

porous, larger, and diverse college campuses or other settings. Others 

observed that some K-12 policies may not apply to higher education, where 

the student population consists of young adults and adults. Some participants 

noted that having a plan was not a guarantee that it will be effective or used 

when needed. In this regard, many noted the importance of, and challenges 

to, practicing the plan and making sure that everyone in the relevant 

community (students, faculty, staff, and parents, as well as local law 

enforcement) is aware of appropriate steps to take in an emergency. 

Participants especially highlighted the need for continuous and ongoing 

education of students, given the constantly changing student body. Finally, 

many schools are using or evaluating new forms of technology to communicate 

with students in an emergency. However, they report that they often face 

challenges in establishing and maintaining these systems. 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

Campus police are often the first responders to campus violence, and may 

have the initial interactions with students or others whose behavior may 

indicate a potential for violence. Despite this, and perhaps because campuses 

are widely seen as safe environments, some campus law enforcement 

participants indicated that they are, in some cases, understaffed or lack 

resources for training, which may leave them less than ideally prepared for 

crisis incidents on campus. Some participants indicated that students, campus 

officials, and external law enforcement counterparts do not view campus police 

forces as full law enforcement officers. By contrast, some campus police 

forces reported that they work very effectively and cooperatively with local 

police forces, have agreements in place for joint assistance and training, and 

engage in such joint exercises. Whatever the local practice, joint training of 

first responders was seen as vital, as was increased resources. There was a 

consensus that campus police forces, which are on the front lines in keeping 

campuses safe, need adequate resources, training, and respect to do their jobs 

effectively. 

State meeting participants who have experience with violence in schools and 

other public settings also discussed the importance of appropriately responding 

to victims and others impacted by the event, and that outsiders desiring to 

provide assistance must be sensitive to the particular needs of the local 

community. In addition, many participants stressed the need to provide 

longer-term follow up and mental health support to reduce the residual impact 

of tragic situations. States that have experienced violence in schools and 

other public settings further identified the importance of convening crosscutting teams to evaluate the events and formulate and implement plans 

based on lessons learned. 

State and Local Recommendations 

 

• Integrate comprehensive all-hazards emergency management 

planning for schools into overall local and state emergency 

planning. 

• Institute regular practice of emergency management response 

plans and revise them as issues arise and circumstances change. 

• Communicate emergency management plans to all school 

officials, school service workers, parents, students, and first 

responders. 

• Develop a clear communication plan and tools to communicate 

rapidly with students and parents to alert them when an 

emergency occurs. Utilize technology to improve notification, 

communication, and security systems. 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

•

 police 

training with federal, state, and local law 

enforcement. 

•

d the 

r lessons learned and 

res. 

Ensure the actual and perceived effectiveness of campus law 

enforcement through enhanced professionalism of campus

forces and joint 

Be prepared to provide both immediate and longer-term mental 

health support following an event, and evaluate events an

response to them in order to gathe

implement corrective measu

Recommended Federal Action 

• The U.S. Department of Education should review its information 

regarding emergency management planning12 to ensure it 

addresses the needs of institutions of higher education and then 

disseminate it widely. 

• The U.S. Departments of Education, Homeland Security, and 

Justice should collaborate and be proactive in helping state, local, 

and campus law enforcement receive desired training and making 

them aware of federal resources on behavioral analysis, active 

shooter training, and other research and analysis relevant to 

preparedness and response.13

• The U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, jointly 

and separately, and in collaboration with the U.S. Department of 

Education, should consider allowing existing grant programs to be 

used to facilitate joint training exercises for state, local, and 

campus law enforcement.14

• The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and 

Homeland Security should examine their community 

preparedness grants to state and local communities, which 

include an emphasis on early detection of hazards through 

information sharing, to clarify the grants that are available for the 

prevention of and preparedness for violence in schools, offices, 

and public places. 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

CONCLUSION 

The Virginia Tech tragedy and similar violent events that have occurred in 

recent years throughout our country raise deep-seated issues. They rightly 

make all of us ask whether the complex balancing of fundamental interests in 

our communities – interests of protecting privacy and civil liberties, ensuring 

that our communities are safe, and helping people get the care they need – is 

appropriately calibrated. Carrying out the President’s charge, we have met 

with Governors, legislators, state officials, and experts from the spectrum of 

mental health, education, and law enforcement communities, who have 

identified obstacles they face and steps they believe should be taken to 

address school violence and mental illness at the community level. Based on 

what we heard, we offer recommendations for actions the federal government 

can take in each of five major issue areas to address these concerns. 

This report is not, and should not be, an attempt to answer these fundamental 

questions once and for all, or to set the balancing of these critical interests at 

the national level. Instead, along with identifying how the federal government 

can help, it serves to focus the issues that must be part of the ongoing 

dialogue – in communities, states, and at the federal level – that will continue 

to calibrate the balance of these important rights, as we protect our freedoms 

and provide for our safety. 

 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

ENDNOTES 

1

For instance, in October 2006 the White House convened a Conference on School Safety, bringing together 

federal, state and community leaders to focus on these issues. Information about the White House 

Conference on School Safety may be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/education/schoolsafety/. 

Information about the broad range of other federal activities and resources is posted on the Departments of 

Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice websites, respectively at: 

http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/schoolsafety/index.html, 

http://www.hhs.gov/secretary/violence.html, http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=588 and 

http://www.oip.gov/ovc/publications/bulletins/schoolcrisis/welcome.html, among other sites. 

2

 In 2004, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing (COPS) sponsored a 

national summit on campus safety issues which included campus law enforcement practitioners, local, state, 

and Federal government officials, and representatives from the International Association of Campus Law 

Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) and other law enforcement and higher education organizations. The 

results of this summit are contained in a report entitled National Summit on Campus Public Safety: 

Strategies for Colleges and Universities in a Homeland Security Environment, which can be found at 

http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/files/ric/Publications/NationalSummitonCampusPublicSafety.pdf. The report’s 

primary recommendation was the creation of a National Center for Campus Law Enforcement that will 

develop and disseminate training, best practices, model policies, and other resources to enhance public 

safety on campus. To further this recommendation, the COPS Office provided funding to IACLEA to further 

explore the creation of a national center and more clearly define the campus public safety needs that a 

national center would seek to address. This project is on-going. 

3

 Participants in a number of state sessions cited as a model tool for effective threat assessments, the May 

2002 guidance published jointly by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education, entitled 

Threat Assessment in Schools: A Guide to Managing Threatening Situations and to Creating Safe School 

Climates. The guide is based upon research conducted by the Department of Education and the Secret 

Service on forty-one shooters and thirty-seven targeted school shootings that occurred between 1974 and 

2000. The guide and interactive CD-ROM were distributed in April 2007 to Safe School Centers, School 

Security Chiefs, key education associations, and Chief State School Officers and can be found at 

http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/threatassessmentguide.pdf. 

4

 The FBI’s National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime Behavioral Analysis Unit-1 (BAU) 

(http://www.fbi.gov/hq/isd/cirg/ncavc.htm) provides federal, state, local, and foreign law enforcement 

agencies with various behavioral analysis services, with a specialty relating to issues involving threat 

assessment and school violence. The BAU works with requesting agencies in an attempt to provide a threat 

management strategy after gathering and evaluating all available information regarding various facets of the 

student’s life. The BAU also provides training programs on this topic to various law enforcement agencies, 

school administration personnel, and mental health professionals who are regularly tasked with responding 

to threatening situations in school environments. 

5

 The U.S. Department of Justice recently submitted a crime bill to Congress. Among other things, the 

proposed legislation recognizes the importance of state efforts to improve information about mental health 

records, and criminal dispositions in ensuring the effectiveness of federal firearms laws. The bill prioritizes 

NCHIP grant applications that aim to improve the quantity and quality of records included in the NICS. 

6

 The NICS Section of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division has been working for 

the past eight years to promote the submission of information identifying all qualifying prohibited individuals 

to the NICS Index through a national outreach initiative focused on sharing information with stakeholders 

about the NICS’ operations. The NICS Section of CJIS has promoted the submission of mental health 

records and sought to further understanding of the scope of federal law and the need to make information 

available to the NICS through outreach to state and local officials. The NICS Section’s efforts have included 

a wide array of stakeholders, including law enforcement, mental health professionals, and court personnel. 

The NICS Section has previously sent letters to states reminding them of the scope of federal law and the 

need to make information available to the NICS. In addition, the ATF has been proactive in educating law 

enforcement and the firearms dealer community on federal firearms laws, and will continue to do so. After 

the Virginia Tech tragedy, ATF communicated to all state Attorneys General and federal firearms licensees 

explaining the federal firearms prohibition relating to “mental defectives” in the Gun Control Act of 1968 and 

encouraging states to make relevant information available to the NICS. These letters are available on the 

ATF’s website at http://www.atf.gov/press/2007press/050907open-letter-to-states-attorneys-general.htm

and http://www.atf.gov/press/2007press/050907open-letter-to-ffls.htm. 

 

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REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES RAISED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY 

 7

 By law, federal agencies are required to provide certain information to the NICS. Section 103(e) (1) of the 

Brady Act (Pub. L. 103-159) provides the Attorney General the authority to secure directly from any 

department or agency of the United States information on persons whose receipt of a firearm would violate 

federal or state law. The provision provides that the heads of such agencies shall provide the information to 

the NICS. To that end, the Department of Justice will continue its efforts to ensure that all federal agencies 

with relevant information forward that information to the NICS. Neither the Brady Act nor other federal laws 

require states to submit information on prohibited persons to the NICS, and thus to the extent that States 

submit information on prohibited persons to the NICS, they do so voluntarily. The Brady Act established the 

NCHIP Federal funding program, administered by BJS, as the primary means to improve the automation and 

accessibility of state criminal records at the national level. The President, through his FY 2008 budget, 

makes grant funding available, for which states can apply to improve the information provided to the NICS. 

In addition to providing funding to states, DOJ has been working to encourage the States to submit 

information on prohibited persons to the NICS. However, significant shortcomings remain in the 

completeness of the records in the system and the availability of relevant information for NICS checks. 

8

 CDC’s Academic Centers of Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention focus on assessing the problem of 

youth violence in targeted communities; mobilizing those communities to prevent youth violence; 

researching the development, evaluation, and dissemination of effective interventions; integrating the 

research and community mobilization components; and emphasizing interdisciplinary and participatory 

research to prevent youth violence. http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/index.asp. 

CDC’s Choose Respect initiative is a national effort to help youth form healthy relationships to prevent dating 

abuse before it starts. The initiative targets 11–14 year olds and the caring adults in their lives with the 

message that dating abuse is not just unacceptable, but also preventable by choosing respect. Based on 

social marketing principles and models of behavior change, the overall aim of the initiative is to move the 

target audience through the various stages of change by increasing knowledge and awareness; influencing 

beliefs; changing attitudes; and changing and sustaining behavior. 

9

 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through its Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

Services Administration, recently launched the Mental Health National Anti Stigma Campaign to encourage 

young people between 18 and 25 to support their friends who are experiencing mental health problems. 

The prevalence of serious psychological distress in this age group is high, more than 50% higher than the 

general population, yet this age group is the least likely to receive treatment. The Web site for the program 

is http://www.stopstigma.samhsa.gov. 

10 The Safe Schools/Healthy Students program provides grants to school districts for comprehensive, 

community-wide drug and violence prevention projects. School districts are required to partner with local 

law enforcement, public mental health, and juvenile justice agencies/entities. This program is jointly funded 

by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services and jointly administered by the U.S. 

Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice. Information can be found at 

http://www.sshs.samhsa.gov. 

11 The inter-agency Federal Executive Steering Committee consists of high-level representatives from 

agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and from nine other federal 

departments that serve children, adults, and older adults who have mental disorders. The Committee 

oversees implementation of the Interagency Federal Action Agenda on Mental Health under the President’s 

New Freedom Initiative. The Interagency Federal Action Agenda on Mental Health includes public education 

campaigns to de-stigmatize and raise awareness about mental illness and grants to states to transform their 

mental health system (including focused grants for children and adolescents) and foster the development of 

a mental health system that is evidence based, recovery focused, and consumer and family driven. 

http://www.samhsa.gov/Federalactionagenda/NFC_execsum.aspx. 

12 In September 2004, the Department of Education published Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A 

Guide for Schools and Communities. The guide gives schools, districts, and communities the critical 

concepts and components of good crisis planning, stimulates thinking about the crisis preparedness process, 

and provides examples of promising practices. The guide can be found at: 

http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/crisisplanning.html. 

13 The U.S. Department of Justice, through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), has several relevant 

training courses that are available and currently scheduled for implementation across the country. Examples 

include the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Program, developed in 

partnership with Texas State University. In addition, BJA has planned, in partnership with the International 

Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) to facilitate a summit in the summer of 

2007 to invite federal agencies, law enforcement, security, and education executives for high level 

discussions on campus safety and security needs, resources, and promising practices. BJA’s Campus Crime 

Prevention Training Program covers relevant topics over several days, in partnership with the National Crime 

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 Prevention Council and the IACLEA. The FBI and ATF also provide training courses as needed and desired. 

Specifically, as noted in footnote 4, above, the BAU is expert in behavioral analysis and works with state and 

local government to provide expertise and training. 

14 The U.S. Department of Justice will continue to work with colleges and universities on training initiatives 

and will continue to make funds available to states. The Department of Justice urges states to consider how 

to make federal funds available to colleges and universities. In this regard, the Department of Justice 

should consider whether additional education and outreach to potentially eligible college and university 

participants, either directly or through state grant recipients, is warranted. Information about the grant 

program is located at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/byrne.html. 

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