Abigail Zwerner, the 25-year-old teacher from Newport News, Virginia who was seriously wounded when a six-year-old student in her class shot her with a gun he brought from home, has filed a lawsuit against the Newport News School District, the Associated Press reports.
In a statement read by her lawyer, Zwerner asserts school and school district administrators were repeatedly told about the disturbing statements and actions of the student but failed to act, a condition she described as “paralyzed by apathy.” Told the student was suspected of bringing a gun to school, administrators did nothing. A teacher took it upon herself to search the child’s bag, finding nothing, but suspecting he put it in his pocket for recess; “Well, he has little pockets,” an administrator commented, dismissing the report of a weapon.
“On that day, over the course of a few hours, three different times — three times — school administration was warned by concerned teachers and employees that the boy had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people. But the administration could not be bothered,” Zwerner’s attorney, Diane Toscano said.