A jury in Newport News, Virginia has awarded $10 million to Abby Zwerner, a first-grade teacher who was shot by a six-year-old student in her classroom in January 2023. Zwerner had initially sought $40 million in damages, suing Ebony Parker, a former assistant principal at the school.
Zwerner’s lawsuit claimed Parker failed to act after being warned by staff that the young student had brought a gun to school. Her legal team argued that Parker had a responsibility to investigate and prevent any harm to Zwerner and others. “It’s Dr. Parker’s job to believe that a six-year-old might bring a gun and shoot their teacher," said Zwerner’s attorney, Diane Toscano, during the trial. The jury sided with Zwerner.
Other defendants, including the school district’s superintendent and principal, were removed from the case by a judge, leaving Parker as the sole defendant. Parker did not testify and currently faces felony child neglect charges.
The bullet narrowly missed Zwerner’s heart and remains lodged in her chest. Since the shooting, she has had multiple surgeries and struggles with limited use of her left hand.
Initially, the Newport News School Board argued that Zwerner couldn’t sue over her injuries because they classified them as workplace injuries covered exclusively by the state’s workers’ compensation system. However, courts allowed the negligence lawsuit to proceed, agreeing with Zwerner’s point that being shot by a student was not a risk teachers should expect in their jobs.
This ruling could have broader implications for how school-related injuries are handled, especially when violence is involved. For now, Zwerner’s award is a significant step toward holding school officials accountable for safety lapses.