A jury in Newport News, Virginia, has awarded $10 million to Abby Zwerner, a first-grade teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student in her classroom in January 2023. Zwerner had initially sought $40 million in damages in her lawsuit against Ebony Parker, a former assistant principal at the school.
The legal case focused on allegations that Parker failed to act after being informed by staff that the child had a gun in his backpack. Zwerner’s lawyers argued that Parker had a responsibility to investigate and prevent harm once the warning was raised. “It’s Dr. Parker’s job to believe that a 6-year-old could bring a gun to school and shoot their teacher,” said Diane Toscano, Zwerner’s attorney.
During the trial, the jury heard that the bullet missed Zwerner’s heart but remains lodged in her chest. She has undergone several surgeries and now has limited use of her left hand. Parker did not testify, and she faces criminal charges of felony child neglect.
Zwerner initially sued other school officials, including the superintendent and principal, but those claims were dismissed by a judge. Parker was the sole defendant at trial.
The Newport News School Board argued that Zwerner’s injury was a workplace incident covered exclusively by workers’ compensation laws, which would block her lawsuit. However, courts determined that being shot by a student is not a normal risk of teaching and allowed the negligence case to proceed.
This ruling cleared the way for the jury to find Parker liable and grant the $10 million award to Zwerner. The case highlights the serious challenges some teachers face regarding school safety and the responsibilities of school staff to act on threats.