Nearly a week after a gunman opened fire inside Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, killing two children, ages 8 and 10, and injuring dozens of others, thousands of students in and around Minneapolis returned to school for the year.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spent the morning welcoming students and teachers back into the classroom, addressing safety concerns in the wake of the tragedy.
"To the parents who are here, thank you for entrusting your children to these incredible educators. We know that our responsibility here is to provide the safest, most inclusive learning environment we possibly can. I'm incredibly proud of what Minnesota does to make sure that happens," Walz said.
Watch: Gov. Tony Evers addresses Minnesota school shootings
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers also addressed the tragedy ahead of the first day of school for many students in Milwaukee.
"It's a disaster what happened in Minnesota. We have to do more than just pray and send wishes. We have to think about what we're doing with guns and mental health. We just can't afford to do this every couple of weeks or months. It happens far too often. It should never happen. It should never happen," Evers said.
Evers also expressed disappointment that only $30 million was allocated to mental health in schools in the recent state budget.
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