Abigail Zwerner emailed the boy’s behavior before filming
The Virginia teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student had warned administrators about her behavior – including allegedly sticking her middle finger to one classmate and pushing another – and said she felt “uncomfortable” with his return to his class.
Teacher Abigail Zwerner reported two disturbing incidents involving the boy in emails to his superiors on November 22, less than two months before he shot her at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, documents show. obtained by 13News Now.
Zwerner said the boy stuck his middle finger to a classmate on October 11 – and a month later hit “a classmate while running through the classroom” and then pushed the student to the ground.
“As of today, I don’t feel comfortable with him coming back to my class today…” she wrote in the email to Principal Briana Foster Newton and Deputy Principal Ebony Parker.
Parker suggested scheduling a meeting with the boy’s father to address “behavioral difficulties” and “put measures in place to support” the struggling student, according to another Nov. 22 email obtained by the outlet.
An hour before the shooting, Zwerner allegedly texted a loved one that the boy was carrying a gun in his backpack.
After the incident, the boy’s family told the district that he “suffered from an acute disability and was on a care plan at school which included his mother or father attending school. with him and accompanied him to class every day”.
Abigail Zwerner said the boy raised his middle finger at a classmate and pushed a student to the ground.
“I don’t feel comfortable with him coming back to my class today…” Zwerner wrote in an email to the principal.
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The director suggested scheduling a meeting with the boy’s father to address “behavioral difficulties”.
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They said the week of the incident “was the first week we weren’t in class with him. We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives.
News of the threads comes after Foster Newton’s lawyer said she was not told the student had a gun on the day of the shooting.
“There continue to be reports that unidentified school administrators knew the 6-year-old student had a gun at school on January 6 and simply failed to act,” the attorney said. Pamela Branch to reporters last week.
A student holds a sign she made for teacher Abigail Zwerner at a vigil.
A teacher addresses attendees during a vigil at the Newport News Public Schools Administration Building on January 9.
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Signs of support stand outside Richneck Elementary School.
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“Mrs. Newton was assumed to be one of those administrators; however, that is far from the truth,” she said. “The fact is that those who knew the student had a gun at the scene that day did not report it to Ms. Newton.”
Both Newton and Parker resigned after it was revealed that the administrators had been warned three times that day that the boy was armed.
Zwerner’s attorney, Diane Toscano, said school staff told administrators the boy was armed but nothing was done.
She said Zwerner planned to sue the school district over the “entirely preventable” shooting.
Despite being punched in the chest and in the hand, the heroic teacher still managed to drag her students out of the classroom before being rushed to hospital.
The Virginia Senate passed a resolution praising Zwerner for his bravery.
The resolution reads: “Despite life-threatening injuries, Abby Zwerner led her students to safety in another room and was the last person to exit the classroom where the shooting took place; no student was injured,” and “then alerted the school administrator to call for help,” according to the outlet.
The boy’s mother purchased the 9mm pistol legally and has not been charged with a crime, authorities said.
New York Post
