Thousands of students are going back to school Tuesday with many carrying an additional weight on their back: fear.
When students in Minneapolis get off the bus, it begins with a welcome in Minneapolis.
"I'll say welcome to school. Welcome to a new school year," said Marcia Howard, who is the president of Minneapolis Federal of Teachers.
She goes on to say that kids in 2025 are accustomed to the type of news that shocked Minneapolis and the rest of the country last week when gunfire erupted through church windows during morning mass at Annunciation in south Minneapolis, filled with students during their first week of school. Two were killed with 18 others - 15 children and three older parishioners, were injured.
"Unfortunately many of our students are inured to this," says Howard. "This is all they know. That is the America that they have grown up in. Yes, it's closer to home, but that's their home. That is what we've created for them and if we want something different, we have to do something differently."
Howards says they have safety measures in place. But still, the threat of another shooting is real.
"I think of people who've made decisions to go private, because they are afraid of public schools, or go to the suburbs because they're afraid of the city," Howard adds. "There is no child that can be safe from stochastic violence as long as an individual has access to a high-capacity rifle. Nowhere in this nation."
At Deerwood Elementary School in Eagan, Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz was on-hand to greet students and educators on their first day of school.
Questions for Walz quickly turned towards firearms, and what his plan is after reports on Friday suggested he was considering a special session of the legislature to strengthen Minnesota gun laws.
Tuesday morning, he confirmed that he believes that now is the time to put all possible solutions on the table, including mental health concerns and access to firearms. Republicans have stated for the last few days that he has not reached out to them, but Walz confirmed Tuesday that would happen.
"I'll be on today with calling some of them," Walz says. "I've watched the public statements. I don't believe in Minnesota there's been a single Republican legislator (that) has mentioned anything about firearms at all. So, I'm going to go and look, I'm going to hear where they're at on this. I'm gonna ask them. They have not put out any solutions. They just seem to say things that we can't do, and they have not put out any things that we can do."
Walz has also confirmed he will try to include an assault weapons ban in his package if or when he calls that special session.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says more than a dozen agencies will be providing help to enhance protection around schools and churches.
In St. Paul, school leaders there say police are offering a police presence outside every public and private school within the city" over the course of the next week.