The student previously threatened to set a teacher on fire and at one point threw chairs and other objects into the classroom, leaving other students in shock, according to The Washington Post. On the day of the shooting, Ms. Zwerner reported to the school that the boy had threatened to hit another child, her attorney said.
James J. Fedderman, president of the Virginia Education Association, said that the boy’s behavior – and the urgent requests for intervention from school personnel – should be taken seriously. “It’s a cry for help on two issues – a cry for help from the student’s side, a cry for help from the teacher’s side,” he said.
It is unclear who at the school had knowledge of the warnings.
The principal is no longer at Richneck Elementary, where a new superintendent is in place is leading the school’s reopening, a school district spokeswoman said. The school’s vice principal has reportedly resigned.
At Wednesday’s meeting, several school board members appeared upset about voting to terminate Dr. Parker, which he said shows the need to move in a new direction to meet the challenges of running the school system in 2023. The resolution, in a vote of 5-1, was not necessary and effective as of Feb. 1.
“Removing someone is not going to solve this problem,” said Gary B. Hunter, the lone member of the committee who voted against the removal. The problem, he said, was bigger than the Newport News school system, or the city. The gun, he said, was “the elephant in the room.”
Terri L. Best, the board’s vice chairwoman, voted to terminate the contract, but said she was concerned about the discussion, including the attack on a 6-year-old boy, who is being treated at a hospital. hospital.
“In the middle of this storm is a little boy of 6 years,” said Dr. Best. “When did we as a society stop raising 6 year olds?”
