VA - 6-YEAR-OLD in custody after shooting teacher, Newport News, Jan 2023 *mom charged* #2

[Simply Southern]

Teacher shot by student awarded ‘Hero’ grant

Abby Zwerner, the first-grade teacher who was shot and seriously hurt by one of her first-grade students in January, is receiving the first-ever Abby Zwerner Hero Award from the Uvalde Foundation F…

www.wavy.com

Abby Zwerner, the first-grade teacher who was shot and seriously hurt by one of her first-grade students in January, is receiving the first-ever Abby Zwerner Hero Award from the Uvalde Foundation For Kids.

“She is a hero to students and teachers,” said Daniel Chapin, founder of the Uvalde Foundation.

 

[mickey2942]

Folks, I think the Murdaugh case is proof positive that nobody is outside the law.

I have a feeling that the family's anonymity WILL eventually be breached, and whether the child was in foster care (as I have suspected all along) or not, it's gonna knock a LOT of socks off.

I beg to differ. Jussie Smollett's case demonstrates that some people can be convicted in a court of law, sentenced to jail, and still serve less than a week of a 150 day jail sentence.

 

[fred&edna]

I do feel, it all goes back to liability. If the parents are charged, would the school face greater liability? I don't know. Moo

RSBM

You could be right... Maybe the legal rabbits are afraid of that can of worms?

 

[GRT]

I do feel reporters are asking and the response is the child will not be charged. Well, we all know the child can't be charged and should NOT, even if the law allowed. What about others?
Moo...

Hindsight is always 20:20.

In cases like this, we always want to hold someone responsible--and maybe the school did drop the ball when it didn't take immediate action to search the child for a weapon. And, had it done so, they might have found the gun, expelled the child and the teacher would not have been shot. But, the school's negligence probably doesn't rise to the level of criminal charges. Maybe a civil suit?

The parents are another issue. They obviously didn't secure the gun well enough. They're raising a little delinquent. But, did they break an actual law? Maybe.

Suing the parents will likely be a waste of time and money. But, I'd focus on that boy--he has issues, and society (his neighbors/playmates) isn't safe right now is he's allowed to wander freely.

 

[Simply Southern]

A child saw the gun, he had it out on the playground threating to shoot anyone who told. The teachers went to administration 4 times and begged to search the child. All to be told, they couldn't be bothered.

He has just returned from suspension from breaking her cell phone.
He arrived at school after 11AM and shot AZ by 1 pm.

Moo...the school needs to be held accountable. The children deserve and are guaranteed a right to a safe environment per the Code of Virginia.

Reference early articles this thread.

MOO...

 

[IDK]

A child saw the gun, he had it out on the playground threating to shoot anyone who told. The teachers went to administration 4 times and begged to search the child. All to be told, they couldn't be bothered.

He has just returned from suspension from breaking her cell phone.
He arrived at school after 11AM and shot AZ by 1 pm.

Moo...the school needs to be held accountable. The children deserve and are guaranteed a right to a safe environment per the Code of Virginia.

Reference early articles this thread.

MOO...

I totally agree and I know we were brainstorming why no one has yet been held accountable. One person, vice principal I believe, lost her job but not sure if she was “fired” vs encouraged to quit.

Maybe the family of the child were friends with the vice principal? The lack of accountability is very discouraging. Just speculating here, my opinion.

 

[airportwoman]

I don't think he should be with other kids either, but districts have a way of shuffling problem children back and forth. And they rarely announce it but a child that age is almost sure to let the cat out of the bag. Then, parents would complain--I know I would.

The only thing I can see stopping that cycle is if a psychologist diagnoses the child with a disorder that makes him dangerous to others (as he is). Then, perhaps, they can have him attend a special school for behaviorally challenged kids where the teachers are more aware of the dangers, and better safeguards are in place.

Only guessing, though.

If he stayed within the district, somebody, anywhere within the same city, would know who this child was, and not just because of all the publicity (or attempts at hiding it) after the shooting.

 

[airportwoman]

I totally agree and I know we were brainstorming why no one has yet been held accountable. One person, vice principal I believe, lost her job but not sure if she was “fired” vs encouraged to quit.

Maybe the family of the child were friends with the vice principal? The lack of accountability is very discouraging. Just speculating here, my opinion.

Or the vice principal is the (foster?) parent?

 

[10ofRods]

Does anyone know if Ms. Zwerner was the only first grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School? If not, why was the 6-year-old with serious behavioral issues placed in her class? At age 25, AZ had limited teaching experience - two or three years, at most. As a rookie, was the child placed in her class to see if she could handle him? The child had a reputation for being a discipline problem. Every effort should have been made to place him in a classroom where his needs could be met along with those of the other children. JMO

I don't know that, but mainstreaming (putting behaviorally difficult and other non-mainstream students into regular classrooms) is entirely the way things are in many US school districts. Most of California is like this.

There are no special ed classes. At best, the kids with EAP's (Educational Assistance Plans) get 1-2 hours a day of special ed, where they are in small groups, with a counselor, with an educational specialist, etc.

Younger teachers often get the less well students, because those students have parents who are not as engaged (there's a correlation). Parents like my daughter are doing their work to get their child in the classroom they desire a year in advance but really, that isn't guaranteed either.

From my perspective, as someone who teaches courses in school observation for teachers, is that it's random. Kids with issues are randomly placed in classrooms. There are no special classrooms where such a child could "have needs met."

At least, not here in California. I have friends teaching in AZ, UT, CO, NM, W. Tx, WY and MT as well (used to have friends in OR and WA - they have moved to other states, but OR and WA have the same systems as CA, IMO).

IMO. As a person who teaches at a college that trains teachers. Plus, I do accreditation work. Or used to. I am not signing up for any more right now.

IMO.

 

[chipwhitley]

Does anyone know if Ms. Zwerner was the only first grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School? If not, why was the 6-year-old with serious behavioral issues placed in her class? At age 25, AZ had limited teaching experience - two or three years, at most. As a rookie, was the child placed in her class to see if she could handle him? The child had a reputation for being a discipline problem. Every effort should have been made to place him in a classroom where his needs could be met along with those of the other children. JMO

I had the toughest behavior class my second year of teaching first grade. Out of 25 students, I had about 10 who were challenging. Those students didn't have behaviors as extreme as this 6 year old, but still hostile and challenging.

Maybe this student was placed in Zwerner's class because admin thought a new, young teacher would be good for him and he'd be more willing to behave for her. Idk, just MO.

 

[TLobo]

There are no special ed classes. At best, the kids with EAP's (Educational Assistance Plans) get 1-2 hours a day of special ed, where they are in small groups, with a counselor, with an educational specialist, etc.

SBM - I'm wondering if you mean IEP (Individualized Education Plan), the legal document outlining special education services a school district is required to provide to a student. (The only Educational Assistance Plans I could google had to do with tuition reimbursement by employers.) With so many acronyms, I just don't want people to get confused about just which types of plans this student could have had affecting his placement and services.

I had the toughest behavior class my second year of teaching first grade. Out of 25 students, I had about 10 who were challenging. Those students didn't have behaviors as extreme as this 6 year old, but still hostile and challenging.

Maybe this student was placed in Zwerner's class because admin thought a new, young teacher would be good for him and he'd be more willing to behave for her. Idk, just MO.

MOO - here's my experience at our own small, rural public school. Here, the class lists are preliminary until a certain point in the year, and administration and teachers can go in and "fix" or switch students from classroom to classroom. Students are supposedly spread out by expected academic ability, behavior, IEP needs, interactions with other students - so that in theory, each classroom has a mix of student abilities in all of those categories.

BUT, at our school, while parents are not able to request a specific teacher for their child, they are able to request that their child NOT be assigned to a specific teacher. Thus, the kids with more engaged or "connected" parents (including my husband and myself) have yet another factor in their favor. We didn't even have to make a formal request, I had just casually asked another elementary school teacher if she thought the concerns we had heard about one 1st grade teacher were valid - she pulled out her phone, went in to the class lists, and "fixed" my son's name in another teacher's classroom. "You don't have to even worry about it." (turns out he has a wonderful teacher, but a number of challenging students in his classroom) It was a relief, but it also made us feel a little guilty that it was that easy for our son, who is already significantly more privileged than the majority of his classmates, to gain yet another leg up.

So my point: I don't know how this school handles classroom assignments. But I could see where the parents may have requested to be in AZ's class, or to not be in another teacher's class; another teacher could have requested to not have this student in her class; or administration could have placed him in AZ's class either randomly, or out of respect for her classroom management skill, or out of malice, or, or, or. All MOO

 

[TLobo]

duplicate, DBM

 

[arielilane]

I had the toughest behavior class my second year of teaching first grade. Out of 25 students, I had about 10 who were challenging. Those students didn't have behaviors as extreme as this 6 year old, but still hostile and challenging.

Maybe this student was placed in Zwerner's class because admin thought a new, young teacher would be good for him and he'd be more willing to behave for her. Idk, just MO.

In response to your 2nd paragraph, agreed. I also, have thoughts along the line that newbies usually are given tasks that no one wants to deal with, the problem, challenges easy to pass them onto a new person. My response is in regards to work fields in general, as I am not an educator. moo

Additionally, thank you for your service in our schools.

 

[PiterGT]

Hindsight is always 20:20.

In cases like this, we always want to hold someone responsible--and maybe the school did drop the ball when it didn't take immediate action to search the child for a weapon. And, had it done so, they might have found the gun, expelled the child and the teacher would not have been shot. But, the school's negligence probably doesn't rise to the level of criminal charges. Maybe a civil suit?

The parents are another issue. They obviously didn't secure the gun well enough. They're raising a little delinquent. But, did they break an actual law? Maybe.

Suing the parents will likely be a waste of time and money. But, I'd focus on that boy--he has issues, and society (his neighbors/playmates) isn't safe right now is he's allowed to wander freely. More recently, our society was not at all calm after the murder of a black guy. I remember many riots in big cities. When I wrote several black lives matter essay topics based on https://papersowl.com/examples/black-lives-matter/ I found several petitions for tougher gun regulations. I believe that it makes sense for everyone to sign them, because there may be many more victims in society and I don’t know how else to change this.

It will be strange if the parents do not bear any responsibility, because the boy cannot be held accountable. The school administration also bears no responsibility. It's kind of strange.

By the way, I recently read statistics about the use of weapons in schools and I was unpleasantly surprised. There are many more cases in our country than in Canada or European countries. I cannot understand how this can be changed in the future, if there are no such problems in a neighboring country, then why there are such problems in our society, I do not understand.

 

[Stunned]

It will be strange if the parents do not bear any responsibility, because the boy cannot be held accountable. The school administration also bears no responsibility. It's kind of strange.

By the way, I recently read statistics about the use of weapons in schools and I was unpleasantly surprised. There are many more cases in our country than in Canada or European countries. I cannot understand how this can be changed in the future, if there are no such problems in a neighboring country, then why there are such problems in our society, I do not understand.

Laws. IMO

 

[LaborDayRN]

It will be strange if the parents do not bear any responsibility, because the boy cannot be held accountable. The school administration also bears no responsibility. It's kind of strange.

By the way, I recently read statistics about the use of weapons in schools and I was unpleasantly surprised. There are many more cases in our country than in Canada or European countries. I cannot understand how this can be changed in the future, if there are no such problems in a neighboring country, then why there are such problems in our society, I do not understand.

Welcome to WebSleuths!

 

[Simply Southern]

I don't know that, but mainstreaming (putting behaviorally difficult and other non-mainstream students into regular classrooms) is entirely the way things are in many US school districts. Most of California is like this.

There are no special ed classes. At best, the kids with EAP's (Educational Assistance Plans) get 1-2 hours a day of special ed, where they are in small groups, with a counselor, with an educational specialist, etc.

Younger teachers often get the less well students, because those students have parents who are not as engaged (there's a correlation). Parents like my daughter are doing their work to get their child in the classroom they desire a year in advance but really, that isn't guaranteed either.

From my perspective, as someone who teaches courses in school observation for teachers, is that it's random. Kids with issues are randomly placed in classrooms. There are no special classrooms where such a child could "have needs met."

At least, not here in California. I have friends teaching in AZ, UT, CO, NM, W. Tx, WY and MT as well (used to have friends in OR and WA - they have moved to other states, but OR and WA have the same systems as CA, IMO).

IMO. As a person who teaches at a college that trains teachers. Plus, I do accreditation work. Or used to. I am not signing up for any more right now.

IMO.

In Virginia, school districts make decisions on funding and how the funds are used. . This includes governors school, advance classes and special need classes.

We recently moved grandsons from city schools, after GS and three others were cut, with a box cutter by another student. Parents were told to go to another district, after they refused to discipline the child, who was not special needs.

Our county school system, has an excellent special needs programs. They have special classes, class size is 6 to 8 students and one or more assistants. Many city special needs kids have moved to county because the program is very successful. They take a weekly field trip, experiencing museums, shopping at stores, swimming lessons, eating out, in addition to regular education. They work on a "well rounded program" , emphasizing behavior, socializing, life skills are incorporated into the daily academics. Many seniors have part time jobs in the community. All have IEPs.

The state has little governance of Virginia schools, they are a separate corporation under VA law.
Moo...

 

[fred&edna]

In Virginia, school districts make decisions on funding and how the funds are used. . This includes governors school, advance classes and special need classes.

We recently moved grandsons from city schools, after GS and three others were cut, with a box cutter by another student. Parents were told to go to another district, after they refused to discipline the child, who was not special needs.

Our county school system, has an excellent special needs programs. They have special classes, class size is 6 to 8 students and one or more assistants. Many city special needs kids have moved to county because the program is very successful. They take a weekly field trip, experiencing museums, shopping at stores, swimming lessons, eating out, in addition to regular education. They work on a "well rounded program" , emphasizing behavior, socializing, life skills are incorporated into the daily academics. Many seniors have part time jobs in the community. All have IEPs.

The state has little governance of Virginia schools, they are a separate corporation under VA law.
Moo...

Doing a brief search, I discovered the Virginia Risk Sharing Association for schools, and I saw Newport News IDA/EDA mentioned. School board liability coverage, school risk assessments, and other important topics are mentioned on the website. Since you're local, I was wondering if you know anything about the VRSA and what involvement they may have with the school board and Richneck (if any)?

VRSA For Schools – VRSA

Your school division has insurance, but does your school division have coverage?

It’s important to understand exclusions and coverage gaps. VRSA’s school officials’ liability coverage is tailored toward school divisions and their governing officials to provide the broadest protections. Our coverage includes no mandatory deductibles, member cost sharing items, or primary aggregates.

Richneck is mentioned here:

https://www.vrsa.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/VRSA_CAFR_18-19_-FINAL.pdf

2021 annual report PDF (there are also additional annual reports available on the website)

https://www.vrsa.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2021-Annual-Report.pdf

 

[x_files]

Did they ever charge the mother? This story seemed to fall out of the news cycle?

 

[shotgun09]

Did they ever charge the mother? This story seemed to fall out of the news cycle?

Sshhhh!
Be vewy vewy quiet.... ( Said in my Elmer Fudd voice)