On Jan. 6, administrators of Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, were warned multiple times, to no avail, about a possible armed student. This carelessness resulted in the shooting of 25-year-old Abigail Zwerner, the perpetrator’s teacher. The first warning was issued by Zwerner, who went to the administration at approximately 11 a.m. to report a rumor that one of her first-graders was carrying a weapon. Her concerns were met with indifference.
Shortly after Swerner’s warning, another teacher told the administration that they had searched the student’s backpack and had found nothing but that they were sure the student was hiding the weapon in his pocket. Administration’s response? A condescending, “Well, he has little pockets.”
An hour later, at around 1 p.m., a third teacher came forward, claiming that the 6-year-old boy had physically shown the gun to another student and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone about it. At this point, the administration had at least three deeply concerned employees and a crying and terrified child who was threatened with a firearm. Still, they decided to do nothing.
A fourth employee asked permission to search the student’s belongings but was told to “wait it out” as the school day was almost over.
Zwerner was shot shortly before school let out for the day and sustained life-threatening injuries. The school board is lucky that no one was killed. There is absolutely no excuse for the lack of concern received from Richneck Elementary School’s administration. Their ignorance is proof of an uncaring school board or an act of pure stupidity.
On Wednesday, Jan. 25, Zwerner’s lawyer, Diane Toscano, announced that she would file a lawsuit on Zwerner’s behalf against Newport News School Board, stating that they “could not be bothered.”
Zwerner was the only person injured that day, but she was not the only victim. The 6-year-old children who witnessed the violence will have to live with the memory of their teacher being shot in the chest for the rest of their lives. They will not forget the sound of the gunshot nor the chaos that followed. They are victims, too. The psychological trauma that Zwerner and her students will face will last a lifetime, and nothing can be done to make up for that. This could have and should have been prevented. The lack of regard for school safety results from the incompetence and negligent behavior of the Newport News School Board, and the consequences should be dire.
Brianna Tassiello is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the opinions expressed in this article do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Brianna? Email her at bt977520@ohio.edu.
