Teacher shot at Newport News elementary school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is horrifying to think of a child who strangled a teacher at 5 and shot a teacher at 6 and what may lie in his future.

Other tiny children should never have been in the vicinity of someone so dangerous and their safety and that of the teacher(s) and staff should have been a paramount consideration.

This is the problem.....children and teachers are not even a thought.

+1 What about the right of those children to a free and appropriate education (FAPE)?

You don’t want to hear this, but the rights of a student with a disability will always preclude the rights of students without.

You've clearly never dealt with the public schools as the parent of a kid with a disability. I begged. BEGGED to pull my kid out of mainstream school. Begged, pleaded, cried. Hired lawyers.
They didn't pull her until AFTER she had hurt herself. She could have easily hurt someone else but she didn't, just by chance.

I believe you and I’m glad your daughter finally has the help she needs. I’m sure it was extremely difficult for you.

And separately, so as to not start another comment, I wonder if the outcome will be swept under the rug. Because as public and newsworthy as this was, there isn’t a lot of follow up. I’m reading a lot of speculation, but I haven’t seen much concrete info.

[Anonymous]

This entire situation makes me so angry, for more than just the obvious reasons. I was born with a physical disability and as a child my parents had to fight the public school system not to warehouse me and allow me in a general population setting. Eventually they put me in a private school at a great financial expense.

When I read posts on this thread, especially from educators, who have a situation where a child is dangerous to the classroom, who are not supported by administration getting help or having the child removed because the child must remain in general population at all costs, I am dumbfounded. Public school systems are STILL forcing children (like me) into segregated settings, especially those with physical and intellectual disabilities that are apparent to the untrained eye (such as down syndrome). Why are mental disabilities that are violent given a pass here?

There is a great documentary that came out last year (I think you can stream it on amazon) re parents in New York trying to get their disabled children in public school, it's not long and its very well done, called Forget Me Not. SPOILER: in the end, the main child's parents and their advocate (who they had to hire because the public school system refused to allow him to start a regular kindergarten), were on a zoom meeting/hearing with the school administrator who was hearing their appeal. The admin asks to take a break but forgets to mute her mic. You can hear her call/talk to someone else who is not on the zoom and say that the parents are still pushing for their child to be in the regular classroom, how annoyed she is with them, that she doesn't care what they have to say, no matter what she will tell them their request will be denied and he won't be allowed. This, over a 5 year old boy with Down Syndrome, who is not violent, who has appropriate K ready skills, who seems like any other average 5 year old.

Yet here this 6 yr old who threw chairs, tried to strangle someone, somehow got a gun, unlocked, loaded and fired it, stays in the classroom at all cost. What is happening.

Trailer for the documentary, which I highly recommend.

https://youtu.be/kquAryptRsI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is horrifying to think of a child who strangled a teacher at 5 and shot a teacher at 6 and what may lie in his future.

Other tiny children should never have been in the vicinity of someone so dangerous and their safety and that of the teacher(s) and staff should have been a paramount consideration.

This is the problem.....children and teachers are not even a thought.

+1 What about the right of those children to a free and appropriate education (FAPE)?

You don’t want to hear this, but the rights of a student with a disability will always preclude the rights of students without.

You've clearly never dealt with the public schools as the parent of a kid with a disability. I begged. BEGGED to pull my kid out of mainstream school. Begged, pleaded, cried. Hired lawyers.
They didn't pull her until AFTER she had hurt herself. She could have easily hurt someone else but she didn't, just by chance.

Yes that is because you wanted her out of mainstream school in a private school which costs the district $$$. Of course they fought that. They aren’t going to push back on a parent who says “I don’t want my kid in self contained classroom no matter what the teacher or team says, I want them in Gen Ed like all the “normal” kids and I won’t sign the IEP with another placement.” And that’s why we end up in these types of situations. Parents who want more resources get stalled because it’s $$$. Parents who don’t want to actually go through the formal process of ensuring their kid gets the help the school can provide? Our hands are tied. They will not sign and we can’t do it without parental consent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New WaPo article has incredible accounts of students past violent behavior. I dont understand how he could have done these things IF his parents or grandparents were with him at school. The parents’ statement made it seem like the week of the shooting was the ONLY time they weren’t there. But WaPo article outlines him making threats, throwing furniture, barricading the doors and wandering around campus unsupervised. Where were his parents when this was going on?

Holy f-ing $hit.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/01/21/richneck-elementary-school-shooting-warnings-downplayed/

+1
“The Virginia teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student repeatedly asked administrators for help with the boy but officials downplayed educators’ warnings about his behavior, including dismissing his threat to light a teacher on fire and watch her die, according to messages from teachers obtained by The Washington Post.
The previously unreported incidents raise fresh questions about how Richneck Elementary School in Newport News handled the troubled student before police say he shot Abigail Zwerner as she taught her first-grade class earlier this month. Authorities have called the shooting “intentional” but are still investigating the motive.”

Every district in the country is dealing with this. I hesitate to say every school but it absolutely wouldn’t surprise me.

I am a teacher who battled in vain to get anything done for a schizophrenic student who last year would sit in my class openly talking out loud to the voices he heard and punching the air and would roam the school to find drugs if an adult wasn’t with him every second and yes, I agree, every school is dealing with it, there are not enough options for kids with real issues and often nothing can be done UNTIL they are actually violent.

That is shameful and a complete failure of the entire system. I'm so sorry for everyone who has been affected by this, and I worry that sooner or later my kids will encounter such a situation. It takes only 1 student to put a whole lot of people in misery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is horrifying to think of a child who strangled a teacher at 5 and shot a teacher at 6 and what may lie in his future.

Other tiny children should never have been in the vicinity of someone so dangerous and their safety and that of the teacher(s) and staff should have been a paramount consideration.

This is the problem.....children and teachers are not even a thought.

+1 What about the right of those children to a free and appropriate education (FAPE)?

You don’t want to hear this, but the rights of a student with a disability will always preclude the rights of students without.

You've clearly never dealt with the public schools as the parent of a kid with a disability. I begged. BEGGED to pull my kid out of mainstream school. Begged, pleaded, cried. Hired lawyers.
They didn't pull her until AFTER she had hurt herself. She could have easily hurt someone else but she didn't, just by chance.

I'm so sorry! You mean you begged they take her into a different public school setting, like into a smaller specialized setting? Because they can't actually stop you from leaving and taking her out of school, students leave all the time, right? Again, I'm so sorry! I hope she is better now!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This entire situation makes me so angry, for more than just the obvious reasons. I was born with a physical disability and as a child my parents had to fight the public school system not to warehouse me and allow me in a general population setting. Eventually they put me in a private school at a great financial expense.

When I read posts on this thread, especially from educators, who have a situation where a child is dangerous to the classroom, who are not supported by administration getting help or having the child removed because the child must remain in general population at all costs, I am dumbfounded. Public school systems are STILL forcing children (like me) into segregated settings, especially those with physical and intellectual disabilities that are apparent to the untrained eye (such as down syndrome). Why are mental disabilities that are violent given a pass here?

There is a great documentary that came out last year (I think you can stream it on amazon) re parents in New York trying to get their disabled children in public school, it's not long and its very well done, called Forget Me Not. SPOILER: in the end, the main child's parents and their advocate (who they had to hire because the public school system refused to allow him to start a regular kindergarten), were on a zoom meeting/hearing with the school administrator who was hearing their appeal. The admin asks to take a break but forgets to mute her mic. You can hear her call/talk to someone else who is not on the zoom and say that the parents are still pushing for their child to be in the regular classroom, how annoyed she is with them, that she doesn't care what they have to say, no matter what she will tell them their request will be denied and he won't be allowed. This, over a 5 year old boy with Down Syndrome, who is not violent, who has appropriate K ready skills, who seems like any other average 5 year old.

Yet here this 6 yr old who threw chairs, tried to strangle someone, somehow got a gun, unlocked, loaded and fired it, stays in the classroom at all cost. What is happening.

Trailer for the documentary, which I highly recommend.

https://youtu.be/kquAryptRsI

Thank you for this highly personal, beautifully expressed post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is horrifying to think of a child who strangled a teacher at 5 and shot a teacher at 6 and what may lie in his future.

Other tiny children should never have been in the vicinity of someone so dangerous and their safety and that of the teacher(s) and staff should have been a paramount consideration.

This is the problem.....children and teachers are not even a thought.

+1 What about the right of those children to a free and appropriate education (FAPE)?

You don’t want to hear this, but the rights of a student with a disability will always preclude the rights of students without.

You've clearly never dealt with the public schools as the parent of a kid with a disability. I begged. BEGGED to pull my kid out of mainstream school. Begged, pleaded, cried. Hired lawyers.
They didn't pull her until AFTER she had hurt herself. She could have easily hurt someone else but she didn't, just by chance.

I'm so sorry! You mean you begged they take her into a different public school setting, like into a smaller specialized setting? Because they can't actually stop you from leaving and taking her out of school, students leave all the time, right? Again, I'm so sorry! I hope she is better now!

No, it is clear she was fighting for a private placement which was probably warranted but that the schools will not approve easily because they have to pay for it. Totally different scenario than parent of violent or mentally ill kid who REFUSES another placement in self contained or private because they believe if the kid is kept in Gen Ed they can claim there’s no disability, they’re neurotypical, etc. or, their favorite thing to say: “they’re fine at home, they only seem to do this at school.” It’s BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New WaPo article has incredible accounts of students past violent behavior. I dont understand how he could have done these things IF his parents or grandparents were with him at school. The parents’ statement made it seem like the week of the shooting was the ONLY time they weren’t there. But WaPo article outlines him making threats, throwing furniture, barricading the doors and wandering around campus unsupervised. Where were his parents when this was going on?

Holy f-ing $hit.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/01/21/richneck-elementary-school-shooting-warnings-downplayed/

+1
“The Virginia teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student repeatedly asked administrators for help with the boy but officials downplayed educators’ warnings about his behavior, including dismissing his threat to light a teacher on fire and watch her die, according to messages from teachers obtained by The Washington Post.
The previously unreported incidents raise fresh questions about how Richneck Elementary School in Newport News handled the troubled student before police say he shot Abigail Zwerner as she taught her first-grade class earlier this month. Authorities have called the shooting “intentional” but are still investigating the motive.”

Every district in the country is dealing with this. I hesitate to say every school but it absolutely wouldn’t surprise me.

I am a teacher who battled in vain to get anything done for a schizophrenic student who last year would sit in my class openly talking out loud to the voices he heard and punching the air and would roam the school to find drugs if an adult wasn’t with him every second and yes, I agree, every school is dealing with it, there are not enough options for kids with real issues and often nothing can be done UNTIL they are actually violent.

That is shameful and a complete failure of the entire system. I'm so sorry for everyone who has been affected by this, and I worry that sooner or later my kids will encounter such a situation. It takes only 1 student to put a whole lot of people in misery.

It was honestly traumatic. I had to get through it but it was terrible. I look back now and am like I can’t believe I actually had to do that every day … I had a plan ready to go at all times if he went off to get the other kids out and keep them safe. But my TA and I had to run man to man defense with him and track his movements constantly. His mom swore it was because of him smoking pot and he would grow out of it. She was in over her head but it was absolutely a failure of the system that he could be in my Gen Ed class. However there is no 1:1 aide setup in my district and his mom wasn’t aware of the ability she had to fight for private placement (not that she’d probably get it).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, that captures it--I am nervous about what I am seeing, especially the last five years or so.

Agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ditch restorative justice in the schools.

It is horrible for the victim and horrible for teachers.

Return to old fashioned discipline and suspensions.

Unfortunately, can’t happen because Biden brought back Obama-era discipline policies, e.g. proportionality doctrine wrt suspensions, RJ et centera

Also, parents who block the school’s numbers on their phones are well, unhelpful, plus their attitudes of “when my child is at school, they’re your problem”

Biden has done absolutely nothing with regard to public schools which are run and governed by state and local governments. If anyone you’d have to blame Youngkin but even that’s a stretch. You’re insane or don’t know how schools work or both.

Um, care to amend your claims?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/07/19/school-discipline-special-ed-biden/

[Anonymous]

Teachers and admin have been told for last 25 years to badically do away with consequences. We have gone from one extreme (paddling in a closed door bookroom with no witnesses) to not being able to do anything. In some schools, kids with no parental support or guidance are out of control.

[Anonymous]

I had a young student threaten to shoot me this week. I am stunned. I probably shouldn't be though.

[Anonymous]

The teacher, via her lawyer, is speaking out and what she has to say is incredible. The administration of this school failed her, the other teachers and all the students.

The boy was hiding the gun in his pockets. Teachers asked if they could search his pockets and admin said no. Holy f-UNC $hit. Teacher is going to sue. I hope she does and that some real changes are made.

Local story here. https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/newport-news/lawyer-for-newport-news-teacher-shot-by-6-year-old-to-issue-statement/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teacher, via her lawyer, is speaking out and what she has to say is incredible. The administration of this school failed her, the other teachers and all the students.

The boy was hiding the gun in his pockets. Teachers asked if they could search his pockets and admin said no. Holy f-UNC $hit. Teacher is going to sue. I hope she does and that some real changes are made.

Local story here. https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/newport-news/lawyer-for-newport-news-teacher-shot-by-6-year-old-to-issue-statement/

The Washington Post has the story as well. I know it might be behind a pay wall for some folks but sharing below.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/01/25/richneck-elementary-shooting-teacher-attorney-speaks/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teacher, via her lawyer, is speaking out and what she has to say is incredible. The administration of this school failed her, the other teachers and all the students.

The boy was hiding the gun in his pockets. Teachers asked if they could search his pockets and admin said no. Holy f-UNC $hit. Teacher is going to sue. I hope she does and that some real changes are made.

Local story here. https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/newport-news/lawyer-for-newport-news-teacher-shot-by-6-year-old-to-issue-statement/

Thanks for sharing. This is crazy. Another student came to them crying saying the boy showed him a gun & threatened to shoot him, and they STILL didn’t search the boy, or send him home, or do anything???