( CNN ) -- As Sandy Hook Elementary School students returned to class Thursday for the first time since last month 's massacre , Connecticut Gov . Dannel Malloy set a two-month deadline for a commission to address the state 's gun laws , mental health policies and public security issues . `` We do n't know the underlying cause of this tragedy , and we probably never will , '' said Malloy , who added that that is `` no reason for inaction . '' Malloy appointed Hamden , Connecticut , Mayor Scott Jackson to lead a special advisory commission and set a March 15 deadline for an initial report that is expected to be addressed during the next legislative session . `` We can work together to make our state a model for the rest of the nation , '' said Malloy , who also called on Congress to enact stricter national gun control laws . The move comes just weeks after a gunman killed 26 people at the Newtown elementary school , including 20 children , ages 6 and 7 . The shooter , 20-year-old Adam Lanza , also killed his mother before breaking into the school with an AR-15 assault rifle . On Thursday , Sandy Hook parents accompanied their children to an emotional first day back in school . `` There was a little bit of anxiety , but everybody was happy to be back in the swing of things , '' said Sarah Swansiger , the mother of a kindergarten student . Students from Sandy Hook attended Chalk Hill Middle School in the nearby town of Monroe because the Sandy Hook building remains part of an active investigation . Newtown Public Schools Superintendent Janet Robinson has said that part of the Chalk Hill building had been transformed to resemble an elementary school and that security had also been increased , incorporating an upgraded system of new cameras and locks . `` ( We want ) to have as much ( of ) a normal routine as possible , '' said Robinson . `` ( Thursday ) is a regular schedule , and we will do the kinds of things that we know are good for kids . '' Counselors were also on hand to help parents , students , teachers and administrators in coping with the emotional toll of returning to class . Swansiger said that while there were `` some emotional moments in the beginning of the day ... you could n't walk around the corner without someone asking if you were OK. '' More : Lawsuit petition withdrawn . More : Map of gun permit holders causes outcry . More : FBI background checks set record .
Gov . Dannel Malloy forms commission to examine state 's guns laws , mental health policies . Panel has March deadline for report expected to be addressed in legislative session . Sandy Hook students resume classes for first time since December 14 shooting .