Abby Zwerner's attorney gives first remarks since shooting by Richneck Elementary student 

I retired 2015 after 43 years as a high school teacher all over the US. Two students came into my classroom, thinking I was alone. They screamed at me because I had separated them and given them new seats due to their chronic jabbering. They refused to leave. Body postures frightening. A student who witnessed said, "They came at Ms.A in a bad way." I wrote them up as a two day suspension, but administration sent them back twice and failed to hold them accountable. I walked out and straight to my cardiologist who wrote me out for the remainder of the year. I have had heart surgery but still experiencing problems. In my career I've had lovely young people to work with, but I've also been threatened and assaulted. The year before I had been slapped across the arm by a student who came in with huge bruises on her arm because she had stepped in between her father and his husband in domestic combat. I am mandated by law to report to CPS. The girl didn't like this, so she hit me. The administrator came in and said, "I know she hit you, but how hard." Parents, get rid of these blood sucking, money wasting people called administrators.

So far, no one dare to point out the implication of this 6 years old having the effective cunning of hiding his gun, and the aggression of coercing another child with deadly threat. I really don't see a child in this incident. I see a criminal mind occupying the body of a six years old.

It is my sincere hope that the teacher wins a lawsuit that will make it possible for her to never return to being a teacher.

I lived in that area and had major problems with the school districts there. My son was constantly attacked and the way they handled it was absolutely pathetic. Really makes me wish I would’ve gotten an attorney too. Shame on the mother for not properly locking her gun. I hope charges are brought against her.

The more details that come out about this event, the more shocking it becomes. Clearly the school dropped the ball, big time. And the parents. There is no way the parents had the gun "secured" or a young child could not have gained access to it. I am glad Abby got an attorney.

The administrators that knew and all who were told needs to be fired and charged! So should the parents.

As a former teacher with experience in multiple districts and states, I can tell you now: this kid was on an IEP or 504 and Administration at schools nationwide REFUSE to take these situations seriously if a child is being given services or accommodations. This is because removing their instructional time, or giving them any consequence can involve a more complicated process. Because of this extra layer of effort, Administration often refuse to act when the perpetrator is a Special Needs child, often downplaying concerns from teachers. Everything that happened here, could have happened in any school I taught at. I only pray that this is the wake-up call that we need, to rethink how we interpret IDEA in School Districts and start removing violent children from the general classroom. The General Classroom is NOT the default LRE and Administrations MUST stop acting as if SpEd students cannot be dangerous.

Also, kid was supposed to have a parent with him due to previous behavior issues yet he was allowed into school without one.

A firearm is not "safely secured" if a 6 year old can access it. So either the kid got it by themself, or someone gave it to them intentionally...

I work in a violent school setting, and I wonder every day if the actual school administrators can be reported to CPS for exposing the rest of the classroom children to violence every day. Im talking throwing chairs, verbal bullying, threats to adults and children in the classroom. We already have staff on modified work for getting assaulted in the classroom.

The way they handled the situation was outrageous. Those idiot parents and school administrators did nothing to prevent the shooting. I also feel like any of them are lying. How ridiculous handling a life and death scenario.

Are there going to be charges against the parents for not properly securing the firearm? The school is culpable as well. Inexcusable

She should also sue the parents.

Not a single parent should allow their child to attend that school again unless every administration member is fired.

Omg. They FAILED EVERYTHING, AND EVERYONE.

Adults who leave weapons available to children should be held accountable

Several teachers came forward to say they were punished if they reported kids for discipline problems. The school district has made a big deal out of reducing disciplinary reports by 40% over the last several years. And the way they did it was by punishing teachers for reporting issues. This is the bright idea of the most recent superintendent of schools, whose salary was just under a quarter million $ a year.

It's so hard to comprehend when you take into account that these are SIX YEAR OLDS she's talking about! Unbelievable! Wishing Abby a speedy recovery! 🙏

Hopefully there will be an outpouring across the world. This child knew exactly what he was doing and what can you do to a six year old? The school was negligent and should have located the weapon. The parents should be charged. This child knew what he was doing all to well. Prayers for healing. This must set a precedent.

Every traumatized 6-year-old child in that gun shooting, blood-splattering class deserves compensation as well.

Wanna bet the parents had previously threatened to sue over how their "special" child was handled.

Let’s see how long our country will take before they realize that our WHOLE education system needs a serious overhaul. This kid was having serious problems before this happened, yet he was not in a class with the proper help and setting . Why? Because they want to mainstream these kids without any aides to help the child or support the teacher. Instead they increase class sizes and they got rid of aides. All politicians, districts and administrators do is slap a bandaid on the problems and give teachers the responsibility to fix it. I’m planning to retire early because they work us to the bone, don’t respect us as educators, expect us to work for free and continually pile on more work. Many parents have no idea how to discipline and hold their children accountable. I teach 1st grade and this hit home. I work at a middle class school and parents can’t volunteer the way they use to because the needs of society have changed. But is the school system changing with it…. NO! I can’t tell you how many kids i have had in my class that have made a WHOLE entire year miserable for the other students in class and made it almost impossible for me to teach. We send them out and then there’s more work expected from teachers to now help this child learn appropriate behavior. Then we have to document,document , document and attend meetings to see what else we can do. So now the work doubles and the child is still in class reeking havoc. Teachers have zero say or power. This is abuse and our country will suffer due to the apathy of politicians and parents. Parents need to get involved and demand things to change from those in charge… not blame the teachers. Our teacher shortage is only going to get worse. For those who say… “but you get all this time off”.. try being with 25-30 kids that you can’t give real consequences to for 7 hours a day 5 days a week and teach them all they need to know to move forward in life for 180 days. Lots of sent can’t even be bothered to help their OWN kids for an hour of homework. This doesn’t include the other pressures. And work put on us. We need mental breaks to recharge for the next batch. I love teaching and it has been my passion for over 25 years, but this system is crumbling on top of our (teachers) heads and it’s snuffing out teachers one by one.

Those parents should be held accountable as well as the school, I think there should be serious consequences for failing to secure their firearm, neglectful parenting, and where in the world did the child learn this behaviour??? Obviously his parents, the school should 100% be held accountable for the childs actions in their care, and people should definitely lose their jobs and be sued, that district needs a complete overhaul from the sounds of it! Sending prayers and healing thoughts to Abby

Wow! if all true that is outrageous! not completely shocking, I quit teaching 3 yrs ago because it's a mess. However no school I have worked in would be that lazy to not deal with a situation such as this one! The parent and admin should be held accountable.

I'm a retired teacher who taught 32 years. I had a first-grade student who brought a razor blade to school to use as a weapon. He DID USE it as a weapon. I went to the principal. who did nothing and said the kid was from the streets just like the principal had been a street kid living on the streets when he was a child. I found out later that the student's mother was in jail for physically assaulting his kindergarten teacher and the father who was a known drug dealer. BTW, two weeks later the student's father was killed in a drug deal gone bad. People wonder why there is an epidemic of gun violence all over this country. It is because our society is NOT teaching children, parents, and the community that there are better ways to resolve problems than with over-the-top violence with guns and other dangerous weapons, I loved teaching and miss it still, but I am also so thankful that I survived to retire.

Every teacher who doesn’t get support from a violent student should journal details of who you talk to, and when and what they said, and go contact the police/district attorney, demanding an order of protection. If refused go to your union or hire a lawyer. By the way, the same strategy should be used if a parent can’t get the school district to address bullying of their child.

The parents should also be sued by the victim.

When I was 6 yrs old .... If I brought a gun into school, my dad would have fixed me up .... & I KNEW IT !!! ..... Dad didn't play games !!! ....Therefore, i didn't have problems, & didn't get into serious trouble .... I knew there would be penalties for my actions .... 70 yrs old now, ....With NO Criminal record !!!! .... THANK YOU DAD !!!

Every single parent who had a child in that class and particularly the boy who was shown the gun and threatened needs to contact this attorney and file a class action lawsuit against Newport News schools the superintendent and the administration

Everyone above the school principals to include the superintendent and school board should be removed and replaced. This incident was totally preventable and should not have happened.

Looking forward to Abby's speedy recovery and her 10 million dollar lawsuit settlement award 💰

Thank God she is alive

as a middle school student who goes to school everyday, I cannot tell you how terrifying it is to hear about school shootings. you think, "what if im next?" or "is this the last time I'll ever see my parents?" when you leave home for school everyday. when you go into lockdowns you text your parents goodbye and try to cry silently (this is from experience). how many lives do we have to lose until America does something about this? how many lives? what if im next? if a six year old can learn to use a gun, a 13 year old definitely can.

if the school had all these warnings and did nothing that is criminal. sickening... the parents will probably serve jail time too.

Makes you wonder what his parents are like??

I remember when I was in 3rd grade. My class was walking in the hallway and I remember looking in a classroom to see a 2nd grade teacher got punched in a face by his student. Then the student tossed across their chair across the room. It is something I won't forget. I always thought it is the parents that should teach their kid.

WHAT is his disability? Has he been assessed by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, and under the care of said psychologist or psychiatrist? Is he on medication and, if so, was he taking it? If he is so violent / dangerous, why was he allowed to attend school? Why not private tutoring in a secure facility? And how was that gun 'secured'? How did he 'unsecure' it & take it to school without his mother realizing it? We are not getting answers.

Severence package! WTH!??? He deserves NOTHING!! 😡

This is a slam dunk lawsuit. School board will likely settle for MILLIONS.

Someone is getting slammed with a hefty lawsuit

She deserves every penny she gets. The administration needs to be fired…no severance.

It is very fortunate that Abbey survived. May she recover fully from her injuries.

When I was six, I was more interested in Barbie dolls and cartoons. I don’t think this six year old can be rehabilitated. He is very cold and calculating

I paid attention today to what my 6 and 7 years student chatted about in my class today, I am a teacher in Finland, and the conversations are nothing related to the conversation that 6 years old boy had that day, what kind of child he is? in which environment he is in?, wow. what kind of gun he got, where it was hidden, no one normally will think to check the lunch box of a so young student., what is going on in American schools.

Sue the pants off the parents and the school’s principal.

If you have a 6 year old that is violent enough that a parent is supposed to sit in class with them every day then why not homeschool that kid so others are safe? If the child is that violent then why did the parents not go that week? Clearly he was an unruly child. My biggest concern though is if you have a child with this type of disability then why would you have a gun anywhere in the house? Even secured? I have so many questions.

I am going to ask the obvious. This child had an individual education plan which required a parent be with this child when he was at school. Neither parent was present that day. What school requires a parent come to school with their student. Is this a proper placement of this student? And, where was the parent who was required to be there? Finally, what was it about this particular student that he was given an individual education plan like this? The administration in this school, and at the district level, have failed miserably and need to resign en masse. Failing that, they all need to be fired.

Anyone who finds themselves in this situation, after alerting the administration, should call the police and the news media to report a student with a gun. You don't have to mention the age or race.

The public deserves to know the name of that administrator! They deserve the same kind of public scrutiny that Pete Arredondo got with Ulvalde!

They 100% knew and knew the week prior after the child threatened to bring the gun to school and shoot his teacher! The superintendent knew which is why the first thing he did was COA in the press conference by stating “who would’ve thought a six-year-old…“ Well, he should’ve thought of it because he knew the week before and no one ever reported this to the police!!!

I hope this teacher is healing well, receiving therapy for PTSD, and wins her lawsuit. That is outrageous that the administration knew about the gun on campus and did nothing. The student should have been searched, the campus locked down, and the police called when the FIRST report was made to the administrator. Prayers for this teacher to heal, and for the students who witnessed the shooting to also heal.

Start charging the parents. School shootings will stop overnight.

Why didnt they prosecute the parents?

I cannot believe that the assistant principal was allowed to resign! She should have been fired on the spot!

Sounds like that school administrator should be doing something else.

If that’s not child endangerment I don’t know what is!…

This is why I gave up my dream to be a teacher. I graduated last year and I’m happy to be out. Throughout my school experience I had to sit through two lock outs because there was a man. The same man within a span of two weeks. Outside with a gun. We also had a lock in because a student was threatening a teacher with a knife. Personally me and my friends all went through severe bullying our entire school experience and never. Did anyone do anything for any of us. One of my friends was sexually harassed by two boys in our grade Junior year. We had two staff members who witnessed it. It was on camera. But all the boys got was two weeks of in school suspension. If I ever have children I hope public school gets safer and better at making sure people feel comfortable and secure. If not I don’t think my children will ever experience going to a public school like I did and good riddance for that. I’m so happy my two brothers only have a few years left. But I’m pushing my mom and ex-step mother to pull them out and home school them. This is a scary world we live in today.

This good for nothing kid knew what he was doing and should be held responsible for his actions

When teaching animals you need to understand you will get bitten.

We all want to know, what provoked a 6year old to shoot his teacher. Why didn't anyone look into this child's behavior, prior to the shooting. Also,what is happening, to the child now?

SOUNDS LIKE WE NEED SOME NEW ADMINISTRATORS!

The police should have been called immediately!!! Why keep asking, just call 911 it's a gun!!

The entire administration staff should have been fired in addition to the superintendent. Also revoke them from ever being employed by any school system.

This is negligence in part of the administration . Definitely 💯 preventable .

This needs a full investigation into what that child is experiencing at home or elsewhere to make this acceptable. If you can't hold a 6 year old accountable, you certainly can hold the adults involved responsible.

6 year old to teacher: Ms whatever, that boy showed me a gun and told me he will kill me if I told. Come on honey, he can't have a gun, he has small pockets. Teacher to administrator: Ma'am there seems to be a six year old student showing a weapon to other students. Administrator: Don't be silly a six year old can't even hold a weapon. Teacher to another administrator: I have been informed by several students that a six year old has a gun with him; I would like to have persmission to search him. Administrator: No you cannot touch that child it would violate his rights. Teacher: But when he is in school he has rights, but if he has a weapon, he would rescind any rights to search, I do need to search the child. Aministrator: Please go back to your class and don't do anything that will besmirch our school reputation. Child shoots teacher - Administrator, I am going to resign as soon as possible, I am getting out of Doge. Of course searching children violates their Constitutional rights, however, if several reports that a child has a weapon, the first thing to do, is to have the child brought to a room. Call the parent to inform them they are going to search the child. If parent cannot be found, there should be two or three adults videotaping the search while speaking to the child what they are doing. Personally, I do not see anything wrong with that, yet what this school adminstrators did was not only shameful but probably criminal. Moreover, calling the police to help them search the child is counterproductive and would only serve to escalate the situation. If a weapon is found, of course, call the cops.

Prayers that she makes a full recovery 🙏🏽

We still believe children are children. It is obviously not the case any more. We always say that things are more difficult for kids "now," but yet we still treat them like kids were "before". Plenty of young children commit heinous crimes. There needs to be penalities for this exact situation. Someone needs to get on changing the laws as we can see how frequent these "children" are committing more serious crimes. Someone who has the guts to fight for it

It's time ⌚ that schools 🚸 start 🛫 to pay up for every single incident that happens, because that's what they understand - money 💵 money talks 💸

The mother is the one who should get punished.

Was there a racial element to the shooting and the administrators incompetence? Why aren't the parents being sued/ prosecuted as well?!

I want to understand the rules first. In a school, is the administrator the only one who can call the police? Can any teacher or student call the police if they don’t feel safe? Can my kid demand the school to call parents if they don’t feel safe? I know the administration failed their part, but why everyone stopped at administrator? Is it because it’s a kid not an adult?

You are responsible for your children up until the age of 18. This child's parents did not secure the gun. If they did,this woman would not have been shot. And other kids told teachers who told Administration that the boy had a gun but nobody did a thing. The Parents and Administration who did nothing should be charged.

He better lose his job, with zero severance pay!!!!!!

We need legislation in this country to protect school administrators from litigation or dismissal when they take action in response to a perceived threat. As it stands right now teachers and admins get their careers destroyed because a search or suspension leads to parents suing the school. It's at the point where the admin is more concerned with the school not being sued than safety.

Teachers NEED protection!

Is the lawsuit going to target the Principal, and not just the Superintendent? Wouldn't it be the Principal's duty to call for protection and notify the parents? Where were the parents that day?

Heads up, teachers should leave if their warnings about safety are ignored. I left several schools because teacher and student safety was not a priority. Get rid of for profit and non-profit charter schools. Educating children is not the goal of charter schools, making money is the only goal of charter schools.

Had it been a teenager they'd bury him

Are the parents of the 6 year old will be charged?

Due to very POOR administrative duties of protocol I wouldn't be surprised if every faculty member walked out. Teachers are under paid with no defensive training. Let THAT sink in.

😢so horrible! If administrators can behave like this in the face of a gun, imagine what else they turn a blind eye to every day. Horrific.

So, I just have to say something, and im sure most of you will get mad for me saying this, but, im gonna say it anyway, so, her attorney said that another teacher went into the classroom and physically restrained the student until help arrived, or something to that effect, this is how messed up our justice system is, if that teacher would have injured that student IN ANY WAY, they would have been brought up on some kind of "child endangerment" charges, nevermind the fact that this student just SHOT HIS TEACHER ON PURPOSE, lets over look that fact, and focus on the fact that a teacher harmed a student.................please, anyone, tell me im wrong.......................

Please I have a violent pre k student who also spits. He hits other children yet admin won’t do anything so my other 10 ese students have to suffer ridiculous

Unbelievable!

As a teacher I am terrified. My sons teacher expressed being scared in light of this case and jokingly but not jokingly asked them if he was in their good graces. This is just. . . When will we be valued and protected? Not addressing the danger students present to each other and their teachers robs us of our dignity each day as we go to work not knowing if we will make it home.

Why are the parents being protected?

Y’all parents are cracking me up!! Y’all are really clueless on what goes on in schools! Please, get involved in your children’s education, spend some time at the schools, ASK your children EVERYDAY what happened in the classroom today and believe what they say. When they tell you little 5 year old Johnny threw a chair at little Becky, believe it!!! No one becomes a teacher to abuse your children or put your children in danger. What disciplinary actions Elementary teachers and administrators can implement are limited. Plus, every disciplinary action is a strike against that particular schools and you also have to remember if that child has a bip things have to be handled more cautiously. Until parents start demanding that things change and they start getting involved it’s only going to continue to get worse. All these comments are finger pointing, yet no one is pointing the finger at a the child 🤷‍♀️, this child also strangled his kindergarten teacher the year before, but again wasn’t held responsible because he was young. Why wasn’t everyone concern then? Where were all these parents demanding classroom safety? Firing administrators, or even superintendents isn’t going to change the rules, the processes of discipline, or make things better.

She should be sueing the "Parents to the kid since it had to be their gun.

This is tragic on all sides

The kid will absolutely kill someone. Not if, but when. And he will get off scott free. That's the future of our country !!!!!

I have been following this tragic story since it happened, and all I can say is that it makes me want to swear.

Make them pay and have them resign

That’s beyond a failed act. That’s full on not caring and being knowledgeable of your not caring and at that point taking pride in your decision to not care.

That is rich!! It is entirely preventable if the gun was secured and out of reach of a 6 year old child.

She low key hit the jackpot. Schools have tons and tons of money

ARREST THE PARENTS!

Looks like only 13 News, was there to cover this story.

Not only was it was pre mediated but he did it himself, no help from his parents, you can tell that, he was angry, he was violent, honestly, charge him as an adult. He showed her no mercy, show none to him. It's not always the parents, sometimes parents are as sweet as punch, kids just like to act tough and others suffer for it. As hard as it is to believe, he knew exactly what he was doing. Killing is getting even more silly and frequent, a person got shot because at McDonalds the fries were cold or something, there is no excuse, but where do they get the idea to do it over something so un heard of.

What did the teacher say to the CHILD for the CHILD to bring a gun to school 🏫