On Tuesday, March 12, 2013, the second of a four-part series of special informational hearings on “Curbing Gun Violence” will begin during the Oakland County Board of Commissioners’ Public Services Committee meeting. The meeting begins at 11:30 a.m. and will follow the regular agenda items. The meeting will be held in the Oakland County Board of Commissioners’ Committee Room A, located 1200 Telegraph Road in Pontiac, Michigan and will be webcast live.
Public Services Committee Chairman Bill Dwyer and Commissioner Marcia Gershenson are continuing their bipartisan effort to Examine How Oakland County Citizens Are Protected From Gun Violence. Commissioner Dwyer, who is a former Police Chief and Commissioner Marcia Gershenson, who is a former teacher, has outlined a four-part informational series. The second informational hearing will include the following educational panelists to speak from a school safety perspective. The panel includes:
- Birmingham Schools Superintendent Daniel Nerad
- Lake Orion Schools Superintendent Marion Ginopolis
- South Lyon Schools Superintendent Bill Pearson
- Walled Lake Schools Superintendent Ken Gutman.
These superintendents will discuss and answer questions relating to school safety and look at what lessons may be learned from the Newtown and Columbine tragedies.
Oakland County Commissioner Bill Dwyer stated, “Kids cannot learn unless they feel safe. Oakland County schools are on the front lines for protecting our most innocent every day and we want to find out how we can use county resources to help. This will be a great opportunity to hear about different school safety measures from Superintendents from many areas in Oakland County. As a law enforcement veteran, I know there is no substitute for good planning and an effective strategy to avoid tragedies like what we have seen in recent years.”
Due to interest on the issue of Gun Violence, the informational hearings have been expanded from a three-part series to four. The next two hearings will include the topics of Mental Health on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 and Gun Rights on Tuesday, April 23, 2013.
The meetings are open to the public and public input is welcome. To watch all webcasts go to www.oakland.michiganliveevents.com/oakgov.
About Tom and Ann Gendich