Minnesota Governor Tim Walz finds himself at the center of a heated controversy following the resurfacing of a letter from Catholic leaders that had cautioned him about the potential for violence against faith-based schools. Two years prior to a devastating mass shooting at a Minneapolis church, the Minnesota Catholic Conference had implored the governor to take immediate measures to bolster security for private religious institutions.
The letter, dated in 2023, was an urgent plea from the Catholic Conference, highlighting a critical need for heightened security in light of a series of attacks on schools nationwide. Despite the stark warning and a request for $50 million in school safety funding, the state made no subsequent appropriations. The tragic consequences of inaction came to light this week when a gunman attacked the Annunciation Church, tragically killing two elementary students and injuring 15 others.
Jason Adkins, Executive Director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, and Tim Benz, president of MINNDEPENDENT, co-authored the letter, which was made publicly available online. They expressed their concerns, citing an attack at Covenant School in Nashville by a transgender shooter as evidence that faith-based schools were becoming deliberate targets.
The letter cited the aforementioned Nashville massacre and the overall rise in threats to nonpublic schools, including Minnesota's Jewish and Muslim educational institutions. Adkins and Benz stressed that the over 72,000 Minnesota children attending Catholic, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim schools deserved the same level of protection as those in public schools.
In the absence of state funding, the leaders warned, children in faith-based schools remained at a heightened risk of becoming the next victims. Their plea to Governor Walz was clear: include the necessary funds in the final Education Finance bill to allow nonpublic schools access to the resources needed to bolster their defenses against such attacks.
A spokesman for the Catholic Conference disclosed that a similar funding request was made to Walz in 2022, well before the Minneapolis shooting. However, the governor's office responded to the recent outcry by emphasizing that private schools already benefit from certain funding and can utilize "school safety center resources, including trainings." The office further asserted Governor Walz's commitment to student safety, referencing his track record of signing into law millions in funding for school safety measures.
The recent events and the emergence of the Catholic leaders' letter have sparked a wide-ranging debate on the adequacy of security measures in nonpublic schools and the responsibilities of state officials in ensuring the safety of all students.
