WASHINGTON – Gov. Mark Dayton said Monday that he's willing to consider any proposals that could protect Minnesota children from school shootings — up to and including arming school staff.
Dayton, in Washington for a gathering of the National Governors Association, said he would meet Tuesday back in Minnesota with his agency heads to discuss how to make schools more safe.
"I asked my Cabinet members to put their thinking caps on," Dayton said, after he and 38 other governors met with President Donald Trump at the White House. "Everybody agrees we want schools to be safe for students, for teachers. … I'm open to anything and everything at this point."
At the White House, the president pitched his own ideas, ranging from a ban on bump stocks to arming teachers, coaches and other school staff members.
"I don't rule anything out," said Dayton, speaking by phone after the meeting. "I'd want to talk to the teachers and educators in Minnesota, see what their perspective is on it."
The governor said local school officials might be in the best positions to talk about the needs and risks at individual schools, an idea echoed by Republican lawmakers in Minnesota, where school safety was also on the agenda. At a news conference to discuss their 2018 legislative priorities, senators said they would like to give local school officials more money to improve security as they see fit.
"It's high time that we look at how we can make our schools safe and secure for our students," said Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester, who chairs the Senate's E-12 Finance Committee.
Nelson said she's been talking to law enforcement officials who told her to "harden the target," and to school leaders, who said they do not want a top-down solution. She introduced a bill Monday that would designate funding that schools could use for such things as armed security guards, cameras or bullet-resistant glass.
