A Newport News teacher who was shot and seriously injured by her six-year-old student earlier this year filed a lawsuit against school officials Monday.
In her lawsuit, Abby Zwerner, a 25-year-old teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, accuses school officials of gross negligence for allegedly ignoring multiple warnings on the day of the January shooting.
Zwerner’s attorneys say the school board and many school officials knew the boy had a history of violent behavior, but the concerns from teachers and students were always dismissed.
Zwerner spent nearly two weeks in the hospital and has had four surgeries since the shooting. The lawsuit is seeking 40 million dollars in compensatory damages.
So far, no one – including the child – has been charged in the shooting. A Newport News prosecutor is still deciding whether to press charges against any adults.
The school district did fire its superintendent and put Richneck’s principal into another position.