(NewsNation) — In the aftermath of a school shooting in Minneapolis that left two children dead and 17 people injured, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said there are steps schools can take to improve safety.

"The country, and local school districts included, have taken steps to harden schools, but they haven’t gone so far as to turn them into basically military facilities, nor should we," Pawlenty told "NewsNation Live" on Thursday. "But I do think there are some common-sense steps, partially for schools ... to have the ability to have physical safety, maybe security personnel on site, and that could help."

Though he cautioned those efforts are not a cure-all and may not have prevented this tragedy, he said many schools have made progress while others still lag.

Pawlenty also emphasi

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