Washington ? In the wake of three deadly school shootings in recent weeks, President Bush convened a conference on school safety Tuesday in which Cabinet members, educators, police and students discussed ways to recognize and prevent violence.

Conspicuously absent in the all-day session was any mention of the role of firearms in the shootings, a politically volatile issue sure to inflame partisan passions in a midterm election year.

“In many ways, I’m sorry we’re having this meeting. In other ways, I know how important it is that we’re having this meeting,” Bush said. “The violence that has been occurring in our schools is incredibly sad.”

Bush, joined in a panel by Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, called on parents and communities to take responsibility for ensuring school safety, saying that there are limits to what the government can do.

The federal government plays a limited role in school safety, as education is mainly under local and state jurisdiction.

The focus of the discussions was on human interaction and the psychology of violence.

Some participants argued that schools need to do a better job of determining which kids might bring weapons on campus. Psychologists pointed out that students who have suicidal tendencies often have thoughts of homicide too. And many panelists focused on the importance of building student character, which they said had been degraded by media influences such as music and video games.

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, left, Columbine High School massacre survivor Craig Scott, Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales and President Bush leave the stage after a summit on school violence in Chevy Chase, Md. The summit was organized in response to several school shootings in recent weeks.

Harsher measures such as installing metal detectors in schools were viewed with skepticism. Gonzales concluded that metal detectors may not be appropriate in schools, noting that not all school shootings occur inside the buildings.

The conference allowed Bush to focus on the seemingly politically safe issue of child safety in schools. But critics used the occasion to attack the administration’s policies on gun control and funding for school safety programs.

“I’m disappointed that today’s White House conference on school violence did not focus on the too-easy access to guns in our society,” said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

“Two years ago, President Bush abandoned his campaign pledge to reauthorize the federal assault weapons ban,” Helmke said. “Yesterday, a 13-year-old Missouri boy brought an AK-47 clone to school and fired it before being apprehended. The Bush administration’s inaction two years ago has led to even deadlier weapons being available in our communities.”

The Democratic National Committee weighed in with criticism of White House budget priorities: “Funding for the Cops in Schools program has been slashed on numerous occasions under the watch of Bush and his GOP Congress.”

The White House responded with an e-mailed statement: “President Bush believes we should target criminals who break our laws – not law-abiding citizens who follow the law,” said White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore.