Anonymous wrote:While y'all argue schools aren't responsible for safety and security, Abigail Zwerner, the teacher who was shot by the 6 year old at Richneck Elementary, is suing the school district for $40 million for failing to protect her:
https://people.com/crime/virginia-teacher-six-year-old-shot-in-class-lawsuit-40-million/
A Virginia teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student is suing the administrators of her school for $40M.
Abigail Zwerner of Newport News, Virginia, named several defendants in her lawsuit, including the School Board of Richneck Elementary School where the incident took place, former schools Superintendent George Parker III, former Richneck principal Briana Foster Newton, and former Richneck vice principal Ebony Parker, PEOPLE has confirmed.
According to the 20-page complaint seen by PEOPLE, the vice principal was warned multiple times by different teachers on the day of the shooting that the child involved was behaving violently and reportedly had a gun.
Specifically, the suit alleges that she breached "her assumed duty" to protect Zwerner, "despite multiple reports that a firearm was on school property and likely in possession of a violent individual."
Furthermore, she is specifically calling out the school district and administration's policy of not enforcing discipline and consequences in the name of being "sensitive" to social-emotional needs as a root cause of her harm:
"Teachers' concerns with John Doe's behavior was regularly brought to the attention of Richneck Elementary School administration, and the concerns were always dismissed," Zwerner's suit alleges. "Often when he was taken to the school office to address his behavior, he would return to the classroom shortly thereafter with some type of reward, such as a piece of candy."
Like it or not, school districts will be held accountable for their lack of planning and seriousness with regard to student and educator wellbeing and safety. Time is up.
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