Teacher shot at Newport News elementary school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What was the motive of the administrators re: the whole situation, and the day of the shooting? As a parent, I don't understand.

Are you asking if the school administrators were deliberately trying to get someone shot? No, they weren't. No 6 year old had ever shot a teacher before - and hasn't since. It was literally unheard of.

The kid was trouble and they were not handling it well. They didn't act quickly, but they had no real reason to think that day would be different than any other day.

Then why did they take the student's files? If the admin really thought that previous issues with the student weren't indicative of an escalation of more violence?

[Anonymous]

Few if any others tried to strangle a K teacher with a jump rope either. This kid is dangerous.

I did not realize the father had a criminal history too, no background checks run on either parent nor were other parents informed they would be sitting in. Why was there such deference given to this child, esp after he had already tried to kill a teacher the year before?

Had the gun not jammed, how many could have been killed?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/1c1l8du/absolutely_appalling_findings_in_the_grand_jury/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What was the motive of the administrators re: the whole situation, and the day of the shooting? As a parent, I don't understand.

Are you asking if the school administrators were deliberately trying to get someone shot? No, they weren't. No 6 year old had ever shot a teacher before - and hasn't since. It was literally unheard of.

The kid was trouble and they were not handling it well. They didn't act quickly, but they had no real reason to think that day would be different than any other day.

In 2000 a 6 year old in Flint Mi shot and killed a classmate in school - technically not the exactly the same, because he didn’t shoot the teacher - but a 6year old bringing a weapon to school is sadly not unheard of or unprecedented

[Anonymous]

Parker, who was in the main office at that time, locked herself in her office when she was told someone’s been shot and did not open the door until police arrived. A grandmother and a young boy were left to fend for themselves in the main office, with the boy hiding behind a copy machine. Principal Briana Foster-Newton had also locked her office door.

Zwerner made it to the main office where she passed out in front of Foster’s door. Foster opened the door then quickly shut it after seeing Zwerner.

Had the gun not jammed, what then? Why did Foster not render aid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Few if any others tried to strangle a K teacher with a jump rope either. This kid is dangerous.

I did not realize the father had a criminal history too, no background checks run on either parent nor were other parents informed they would be sitting in. Why was there such deference given to this child, esp after he had already tried to kill a teacher the year before?

Had the gun not jammed, how many could have been killed?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/1c1l8du/absolutely_appalling_findings_in_the_grand_jury/

7 more because there were 7 bullets left in the gun. The 8 charges of felony child abuse are for the 8 bullets that had been in the gun (1 he shot and the other 7 still in the chamber). The gun jammed. He tried over and over to get it to work again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is a link to the grand jury report. it’s mind blowing. The gun jammed after the first shot, the gun still had 7 bullets. Also the grand jury found substantial evidence that witness tampering occurred at a criminal level including the sudden disappearance of the student’s disciplinary file and believe it was deliberately removed.

https://nncwa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Full-Report-2024-opt.pdf

The assistant principal was arrested today. She appears in court tomorrow.

This is shocking, so much worse than previously reported.

Ms. Zwerner collapsed bleeding in the main office and the principal opened the door, saw her, and turned around to hide and closed her door on her?!
The violent kid tried to fire again and again? He punched the teacher who got him away from the gun? They asked a violent 6 year old for permission to search his backpack? They let an adult with a criminal history and a drug addicted adult sit in a first grade classroom for weeks/months? He never completed K, but that was hidden by the principals, too? They had the child in class only for 1.5 hrs a day for months and did not unenroll him from mainstream classroom after all. of. this?

I hope they charge more people in this. I hope Ms.Zwerner gets a huge payout. And I hope this puts administrators everywhere on notice, not to tolerate violence in a mainstream classroom, or on a bus, or wherever there are other children.

This particular kid needs to be institutionalized for good. He will not turn around.

All of this. And charge the grandfather too for the kid allegedly bringing a KNIFE on the school bus last month. Not allowing him to ride is not enough. The grandfather, who has custody, says the boy has learned from his "mistake" - which one? The strangling a teacher with a jump rope or shooting another one? Or punching the teacher who got the gun away? Which one? He is not fit, the child's situation still presents a danger to others.

[Anonymous]

WOW.

If all this is true, more heads need to roll. SEVERAL YEARS OF PRISON for all these administrators. Prohibition from working with children ever again.

It's only dumb luck that this teacher didn't die.

Charge all the adults in the household as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WOW.

If all this is true, more heads need to roll. SEVERAL YEARS OF PRISON for all these administrators. Prohibition from working with children ever again.

It's only dumb luck that this teacher didn't die.

Charge all the adults in the household as well.

Incentivize child abuse - since you are blaming the grandfather who attempted to parent the child but did not provide a gun to him. Guess he should have whupped him more.

[Anonymous]

Where is this boy's father??

I thought it was the GREAT grandfather that was now taking care of this kid. Which is awful. Great grandpa should be enjoying his senior years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is a link to the grand jury report. it’s mind blowing. The gun jammed after the first shot, the gun still had 7 bullets. Also the grand jury found substantial evidence that witness tampering occurred at a criminal level including the sudden disappearance of the student’s disciplinary file and believe it was deliberately removed.

https://nncwa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Full-Report-2024-opt.pdf

The assistant principal was arrested today. She appears in court tomorrow.

This is shocking, so much worse than previously reported.

Ms. Zwerner collapsed bleeding in the main office and the principal opened the door, saw her, and turned around to hide and closed her door on her?!
The violent kid tried to fire again and again? He punched the teacher who got him away from the gun? They asked a violent 6 year old for permission to search his backpack? They let an adult with a criminal history and a drug addicted adult sit in a first grade classroom for weeks/months? He never completed K, but that was hidden by the principals, too? They had the child in class only for 1.5 hrs a day for months and did not unenroll him from mainstream classroom after all. of. this?

I hope they charge more people in this. I hope Ms.Zwerner gets a huge payout. And I hope this puts administrators everywhere on notice, not to tolerate violence in a mainstream classroom, or on a bus, or wherever there are other children.

This particular kid needs to be institutionalized for good. He will not turn around.

All of this. And charge the grandfather too for the kid allegedly bringing a KNIFE on the school bus last month. Not allowing him to ride is not enough. The grandfather, who has custody, says the boy has learned from his "mistake" - which one? The strangling a teacher with a jump rope or shooting another one? Or punching the teacher who got the gun away? Which one? He is not fit, the child's situation still presents a danger to others.

All of these people should be in jail. The grand jury has done an amazing job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where is this boy's father??

I thought it was the GREAT grandfather that was now taking care of this kid. Which is awful. Great grandpa should be enjoying his senior years.

It is the great grandfather. I don’t know where the grandfather or father are but I had read previously the father was somewhat involved. I can’t imagine how old the great grandfather is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where is this boy's father??

I thought it was the GREAT grandfather that was now taking care of this kid. Which is awful. Great grandpa should be enjoying his senior years.

It is the great grandfather. I don’t know where the grandfather or father are but I had read previously the father was somewhat involved. I can’t imagine how old the great grandfather is.

The father is involved because the report said he was sitting in class with the kid every day despite having a criminal record.

[Anonymous]

Poor great grandpa. What happens if he surrenders the child? Is the state then responsible for him? Does he sit in the foster care system? Who's going to take him?

I agree that it sounds like the boy is beyond help. His parents probably messed him up irreparably by letting him smoke marijuana, and him inhaling it constantly. What an awful situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where is this boy's father??

I thought it was the GREAT grandfather that was now taking care of this kid. Which is awful. Great grandpa should be enjoying his senior years.

It is the great grandfather. I don’t know where the grandfather or father are but I had read previously the father was somewhat involved. I can’t imagine how old the great grandfather is.

He is actually not that old. This family unsurprisingly has a history of having kids young. Great grandpa is likely in his 60s or maybe early 70s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many lives were put at risk and any genuine attempt at intervention was further delayed, I just don't understand WHY?

There are a lot of admins who would rather lose a good teacher than kick out a violent student. Churn and burn through teachers who have to deal with the violent kid, but you can brag that you reduced suspensions by 95% when you apply for a job with the DOE.

I would love to see climate surveys of this school and the district before the shooting. I'd bet Parker and Parrott weren't well regarded by staff at any point in their careers.