ST. PETER — As tragedy struck Minneapolis on Wednesday with a shooter opening fire during a school Mass at Annunciation Catholic School, area school officials attempted to process what was going on.
St. Peter Public Schools Supt. Jon Graff tried to reckon with the news.
“It’s that realization that that’s the world we live in and I wish that we didn’t have to think about that. I wish we didn’t have to prepare for that, but it’s that realization that we do, and it’s that drive to continue to prepare.”
In a rare show of solidarity with a state he’s often found himself opposing, President Donald Trump ordered all flags be flown at half-staff until the end of the month.
He also wrote a post for Truth Social, writing in part: “The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!”
In Mankato, school is already in session, and law enforcement was quick to work with the district to structure a response.
“We were in conversation with our public safety partners as soon as they had the information, they were reaching out to our team,” said Samantha Steinman, director of student support services for Mankato Area Public Schools.
She said that when an event like this unfolds, one of the first responses is to make sure their systems are set up not only to respond to a potential attack, but to prevent one.
“School safety is not only about responding to emergencies, but also preventing them and having protocols in place and having good communication with our law enforcement,” Steinman said. “Our priority is creating an environment where students feel safe to express themselves, access support, build positive relationships with peers and staff, and that’s really important in case they were to see anything or hear anything that could jeopardize the safety of our systems.”
Even with those systems in place, the first reaction is one of sadness and heartache.
“We are thinking of the families of Minneapolis and we are heartbroken by the tragic shooting at a Minneapolis private school this morning. Our thoughts are with their students and families and educators and community as they face that unimaginable loss,” Steinman said.
Back in St. Peter, High School Principal Annette Engeldinger is looking forward to once again welcoming students through the doors like she has for the last 11 years as school begins in less than a week. With the district being so geographically close to another school shooting, she knows there are bound to be worries from parents.
For any parents feeling concern, Graff points to the work St. Peter is already doing to keep their students safe.
“We think about safety and security every single day. We have many, many things in place to support or to ensure safety and security,” Graff said.
“This year we’re implementing standard response protocol, which is essentially five protocols that we’ll train on throughout the school year and beyond.”
Those protocols include things such as making sure students are held in a safe place in case an emergency happens, securing the building in case of suspicious activity and evacuating as soon as safely possible.
And for those beginning school soon, Engeldinger hopes the day is what it should be: fun.
“It’s tragic, not just for Annunciation Catholic, but (because) the start of the school year is so exciting,” Engeldinger said. “It should be fun, and I hope that our families and kids can still feel that.”