The families of two students in the room when their 6-year-old classmate pulled out a gun and shot their teacher, Abigail Zwerner, plan on suing the school district.
Zwerner was critically wounded inside her classroom at Richneck Elementary on Jan. 6. She was reading from a book when a student shot her in the chest with his mother’s 9mm handgun. The 25-year-old teacher was hospitalized for nearly two weeks but is now recovering at home.
So far, the parents of two children have filed notices of potential legal action against Newport News Public Schools.
One girl present when the gunfire erupted “suffered emotional harm as a result,” according to a letter alerting the school district of her family’s intent to sue. It further alleges the child was subjected to bullying and harassment throughout the schoolyear, but that officials did little to help her.
In a separate notice, the parents of another child claimed he “sustained injuries during a school shooting on January 6, 2023.” Their attorney did not provide further details, but authorities have previously said that no children were physically harmed during the incident.
Both notices were dated Jan. 30. They were delivered just days after Zwerner’s attorney Diane Toscano, filed her own legal notice, outlining the school’s failure to protect her client.
In her letter, Toscano notes that at least three teachers and staff members expressed concern about the boy, telling administrators they believed he brought a gun to school. The boy’s backpack was searched, but no gun was found, and administrators did not remove the boy from class, lock down the school or call police.