In response to the Aug. 27 shooting that killed two students and injured 21 people during an all-school Mass in Annunciation Church, Minneapolis, the New Jersey Catholic Conference has issued a fact sheet detailing efforts to provide additional security funding and resources for its Catholic schools.
The fact sheet release followed a national Catholic news outlet’s published report Aug. 28 on how Minnesota state lawmakers ignored Minnesota bishops’ request for security funding for nonpublic schools.
“We understand that this incident and the subsequent media reports have raised questions about New Jersey’s nonpublic school and houses of worship security efforts, specifically funding,” said James King, executive director for NJCC, the public policy arm of the bishops of New Jersey. “To assist in responding to these questions, NJCC has developed the fact sheet, [which] lists our efforts to provide additional security funding and resources.”
The conference listed initiatives it has pursued with partners in the nonpublic school community: advocating for security funding; critical incident mapping so first responders have blueprints of schools; supporting federal- and state-sponsored bleed control kits and training; interfaith security collaboration, and fostering relationships with local first responder communities.
The fact sheet was shared with New Jersey bishops, Catholic school superintendents and government program coordinators and was posted to the NJCC website. In an earlier statement Aug. 27, NJCC responded to the shooting and reinforced its commitment to Catholic school safety:
“As New Jersey Catholic school students enter this new academic year, amongst our schools’ top priorities is the safety of their students,” the statement said. “The faculty and staff work with the appropriate governmental and law enforcement agencies to ensure every student is safe and free to learn without the fear of physical or mental harm.”
“We are grateful to our governmental leaders for their efforts to strengthen the safety and security of all students in the State,” the statement continued. “Today’s events remind us that we must continue to work courageously and collaboratively to ensure that our schools and communities remain places of safety, hope and compassion.”
A printable version of both the statement and fact sheet are available at https://njcatholic.org/school-safety-and-security.