For some reason, a Virginia judge has ruled that the lawsuits brought by the Newport News elementary teacher shot by a six year-old-boy who brought his parent’s semi-automatic handgun to school can continue with her lawsuits against the school district and administrators, CNN reports. And it’s not “For some reason,” like, “Why did the judge rule this way?” It’s for “Why did the judge have to rule on this at all?”
The $40 million case brought by Abigail Zwerner centers on the fact that the school and the administration had been alerted to many warning signs about the student’s history of violent acts and threats. The school board, however, attempted to argue that getting shot by a first-grade student is all part of the job for a Virginia teacher, so the case should fall under Virginia’s worker’s compensation laws. The judge disagreed: “The danger of being shot by a student is not one that is peculiar or unique to the job of a first-grade teacher in a class,” Circuit Court Judge Matthew Hoffman said.