Years before the shooting in Minneapolis on Aug. 27 that ended the lives of two young Catholic school students, religious and education leaders in the city pleaded for additional state funding to keep their campuses safe.

They never got it. The reasons why are complicated: For one, the state legislature never passed the bill that would've enacted the funding (public schools didn't get the money, either). Lawmakers reintroduced the legislation this year, and it's still pending.

The situation highlights another dynamic in American schools: the idea of investing public money in non-public schools, particularly religious ones, often stokes controversy. In the meantime, no school, public or private, seems entirely free from the risk of a shooting. That fact has prompted some private school leaders to push for security resources on par with their public school counterparts.

"Funding and grant programs should be structured to ensure equitable access for all schools, public and nonpublic, including faith-based schools," said Steven Cheeseman, the president of the National Catholic Educational Association, "so that every student benefits from the resources necessary to ensure that they can attend school in a safe and secure environment."

On April 14, 2023, in the wake of a mass shooting at a religious school in Nashville, advocates for Minnesota's Catholic schools said they could use more help to keep their campuses safe.

"Our schools are under attack," they wrote in a public letter. "In Minnesota, nonpublic schools, particularly our Jewish and Muslim schools, have experienced increased levels of threats, all of which we must take very seriously."

They urged Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, to help them lobby the state legislature to include them in the newly proposed school safety program. In a statement to USA TODAY, Walz's office said private schools in Minnesota already get some state funding. They're also eligible for school safety center resources, including training.

"The Governor cares deeply about the safety of students and has signed into law millions in funding for school safety," said spokesperson Claire Lancaster. "We remain committed to working with anyone who is willing to work with us to stop gun violence and keep our students safe."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Years before shooting, Minnesota Catholic schools asked for more safety funding

Reporting by Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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