Newport News school district: Being shot by a 6-year-old is just a risk 1st grade teachers take – By John Sexton (Hot Air) / April 28, 2023
Abigail Zwerner is the Virginia teacher who was shot by one of her 6-year-old students back in January. Zwerner has since sued the school district for $40 million alleging that administrators knew the student in question had a history of violence including trying to strangle one of his teachers the previous year. More to the point, they received multiple warnings on the day of the shooting that the student had brought a gun to school. Rather than call the police, they decided to wait it out for his mother to arrive.
Today, the school district has filed a response to the lawsuit asking a judge to dismiss it on the grounds that Zwerner should accept workers compensation for her injuries.
The motion from the school district, which notes that Zwerner has so far refused to accept payment under Virginia’s Workers’ Compensation Act, argues that the Newport News Circuit Court doesn’t have jurisdiction over the case because being shot by a first-grader is, essentially, a risk that all teachers take.
“One cannot assess the state today of education-based employment in the United States without paying attention to the problem of violence in its classroom,” the motion says, calling this an “unfortunate reality.” Although teachers today see themselves as “the first line of defense” when students attack each other, the motion says, “teachers themselves are common targets of violent behavior by students.”…
