The school's assistant principal ignored warnings that the boy had a weapon, the report said

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NORFOLK, Virginia – A former assistant principal at a Virginia elementary school showed a “shocking” lack of response to multiple warnings that a 6-year-old boy had a gun in the hours before he shot his teacher, according to a grand jury report. released on Wednesday.

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“They did not look for the child. The child was not expelled from school. No police or SRO was called,” the statement said, citing a school resource officer.

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The report comes a day after former administrator Ebony Parker was indicted on eight felony charges, including one for each of the eight shots fired into teacher Abby Zwerner's classroom that “endangered all students,” according to Newport News prosecutors. statement.

The 31-page report provides new details about the January 2023 shooting and serious injury to Zwerner, which occurred after the boy brought his mother's gun to school in a backpack. He lists missed opportunities to provide more resources to the often disruptive student, as well as the tools Parker used to remove him from classrooms like an alternative school in the months leading up to the shooting.

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“Dr. “Given the importance of the information he received on January 6, 2023, Parker's failure to respond and initiative is surprising,” the grand jury report said. This is reinforced by the fact that she is familiar with the child's past disciplinary problems and has been involved in making decisions about the child's behavior during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years.

One parent reported that her child had been choked twice by a classmate during these two school years, but had never told the parents of the child's identity or that he had engaged in such behavior, including choking a kindergarten teacher. It was the same boy who shot Zwerner, the report said.

The report said Parker was charged because he “neglected to take no action” on the day of the shooting after receiving a tip that the boy might have a gun.

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“Over the course of approximately two hours, Dr. Parker completely disregarded the safety of the children in Ms. Zwerner's class, the children she played with at recess, and all the children who could have been shot at the school. “, the message says.

Parker, 39, posted $4,000 bail Wednesday and does not yet have an attorney listed, the Newport News Circuit Court Clerk's Office said.

The grand jury report provided a detailed, often minute-by-minute account of each time a special grand jury said Parker ignored concerns. For example, one teacher spoke of a “visibly scared and shaking” boy who said he saw bullets from the boy's 9mm handgun during recess.

Counselor Rolonzo Rawls told Parker the same story, according to the report.

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“Mr. Rawls, now the third person and the fourth time this message was sent, went back to Dr. Parker and told him that the boy at least had a gun or ammunition,” the report said.

Parker refused to allow the boy to be searched after his bag was searched, the report said, describing the boy as sitting at his desk with a “firearm tucked into his jacket.”

“Lady. Zwerner was then left alone in his classroom that day with 16 first-graders, one of whom was reported by three different students to have a firearm within two hours, he added.

Weeks after the shooting, Newport News Public Schools announced Parker's resignation.

He and other school officials are also suing Zwerner for $40 million in negligence, whose allegations include many details in the grand jury report.

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The similarities were pointed out Wednesday by Zwerner's attorneys, Diane Toscano, Kevin Biniazan and Jeffrey Breit, who said the grand jury report “highlights the systemic failure that led to the shooting.”

According to police, Zwerner was sitting at a desk in front of the classroom when the boy fired the gun. The bullet hit Zverner in the arm, then in the chest, and one of his lungs collapsed. She spent nearly two weeks in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries, as well as emotional trauma, according to her lawsuit.

The children in her class that day are also struggling emotionally.

One student “doesn't talk to anyone about what happened,” while another boy covers his ears when someone asks about it.

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“She is afraid that one day the boy will come back and hurt her,” it said. “His mother is currently undergoing treatment.”

Another child, a 6-year-old who reported having a gun, is also in therapy, feeling guilty that the shooting was his fault.

It was said that a woman whose daughter was a witness to the shooting and whose request to transfer to another school was rejected sold her house and used up the money she had saved “so that her daughter could go to school without fear.”

Many children were denied transfers in accordance with school policy, according to the report, which recommended allowing them in cases where a health care provider confirmed the child was still struggling.

The report also revealed that police who responded to the shooting were unable to immediately enter the school because the doorbell system was down. They pounded on the door for a minute before the caretaker let them in.

The grand jury recommended that all Newport News schools have an automatic system, such as keys or swipe cards, to allow law enforcement immediate entry.

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