In the wake of a horrific school shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school, questions are now being raised about Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s response to earlier warnings regarding school safety.Catholic leaders and school advocates had voiced concerns years before the tragedy, calling attention to the urgent need for enhanced security in Minnesota’s nonpublic schools, including Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim institutions.Yet, despite multiple calls for action, these warnings were largely ignored, and the tragic events that unfolded only serve to underscore the critical need for better protection in schools across the state.In an April 14, 2023 letter, Jason Adkins, Executive Director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, and Tim Benz, President of MINNDEPENDENT, raised alarms about the safety of private schools in the state.
The letter, which was published by the Daily Wire and remains accessible on the Minnesota Catholic Conference’s website, highlighted an alarming trend of rising threats against schools, particularly those that are nonpublic.The letter emphasized that “our schools are under attack,” citing the mass shooting at Covenant Christian School in Nashville just one week earlier, a tragedy that demonstrated the very real danger that nonpublic schools face.The letter pleaded with Governor Walz to take immediate action and ensure that nonpublic schools in Minnesota were included in the state’s safety initiatives. The leaders specifically requested $50 million in the final Education Finance bill, asking that nonpublic schools be allowed to apply for funding under the Building and Cyber Security Grant Program, which was designed to provide security upgrades, emergency response training, and mental health services to public schools.
This program, however, had excluded nonpublic schools, leaving institutions like Catholic, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim schools in Minnesota with no means of accessing these crucial safety resources.Despite these repeated requests, the situation was left unresolved, and two years later, tragedy struck. A shooter opened fire at a Minneapolis Catholic school during Mass, killing two individuals and injuring seventeen others.The horror of this event brought to life the concerns that had been so frequently and earnestly expressed by Catholic leaders. The shooting is a stark reminder that the risks to nonpublic schools were never fully addressed, despite the explicit warnings from those who work directly with these communities.The tragic event has sparked outrage and renewed calls for Governor Walz to take responsibility for the failure to act on these safety concerns.
The fact that Catholic and other nonpublic schools were excluded from state funding initiatives designed to protect students seems even more egregious in hindsight.The shooting has made it clear that the state’s safety measures were inadequate and that the exclusion of nonpublic schools from critical funding programs put thousands of students in jeopardy.The letter from Adkins and Benz, which was first sent in 2023, made several key points about the growing danger facing nonpublic schools. “The latest school shooting at a nonpublic Christian school in Tennessee sadly confirms what we already know – our schools are under attack,” the letter stated.The leaders also pointed out that nonpublic schools in Minnesota, particularly Jewish and Muslim institutions, had experienced an increase in threats, which should have been a cause for concern for the state government.In addition to the growing threats, the leaders highlighted the fact that Minnesota’s nonpublic schools had been excluded from the state’s $50 million Building and Cyber Security Grant Program, which had been established to provide security upgrades, emergency response training, and other vital resources for public schools.
These programs were vital for ensuring that schools were prepared to respond to and prevent attacks, and yet nonpublic schools were left without the resources they desperately needed.The letter also pointed out that the state’s Safe Schools Program, which provides resources like mental health services and violence prevention programs, had also failed to include nonpublic schools.The exclusion of these schools from the state’s safety programs meant that students in private schools, including Catholic schools, were left vulnerable and without the protections that other students in public schools were receiving.In addition to these concerns, the leaders expressed their fears that the lack of support for nonpublic schools could lead to even greater consequences.“An attack on any school, whether it is a public, nonpublic, charter or another school site, cannot be tolerated or allowed to happen in Minnesota,” the letter read.It is clear that these leaders were deeply concerned about the safety of their students, and their warnings went unheeded by the governor and state lawmakers.Despite these concerns, Walz’s office claimed that private schools do receive state funding and are eligible for school safety center resources, including trainings.However, this statement seems to disregard the fact that these schools were still excluded from the vital funding programs that could have provided the necessary security upgrades and resources to protect their students.
Without access to these resources, nonpublic schools were left scrambling to find alternative ways to ensure their students’ safety.Governor Walz’s response to the issue of school safety has been met with criticism. Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul-Minneapolis had previously urged the governor to call a special session of the state legislature to approve a bill that would provide all schools, including nonpublic ones, with permanent funding streams for mental health, violence prevention, and security improvements.Yet, this request, like many others, was ignored. In the wake of the shooting, it is impossible to ignore the fact that the failure to take action on these issues has led directly to the tragic loss of life.It is not just the failure to address the security concerns that is causing outrage but also the sense that the state’s priorities are misaligned. The exclusion of nonpublic schools from the Building and Cyber Security Grant Program and other vital funding programs speaks to a broader issue of how Minnesota’s education system treats private institutions.The safety of all students should be a priority, yet it seems that the needs of nonpublic schools have been sidelined in favor of public institutions.
The events that unfolded in Minneapolis have also shone a spotlight on the broader issue of school violence and the need for comprehensive safety measures in all schools, regardless of their public or private status.While many school shootings have occurred in public schools, the reality is that no institution is immune to the threat of violence. In an age where threats to school safety are increasing, it is essential that all schools are adequately prepared to protect their students and staff.The shooting in Minneapolis has brought to light the critical need for action, and it is now time for Governor Walz to step up and address the concerns that were raised long before the tragedy.
The failure to act on these concerns has cost lives, and the state must now take immediate action to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.This includes providing nonpublic schools with the resources and funding they need to protect their students and ensuring that all schools, regardless of their status, are included in the state’s school safety initiatives.As the investigation into the shooting continues, it is clear that the failure to address school safety concerns in a timely manner has had devastating consequences.It is time for Governor Walz and state lawmakers to acknowledge their role in this tragedy and take concrete steps to prevent future violence in schools.The safety of students should always be the top priority, and the governor must act now to ensure that all schools in Minnesota are fully prepared to protect their students and staff from harm.