A Virginia first grade teacher who was shot by her six-year-old student in January is now in a dispute with her school district over whether she was fired or not.
First-grade teacher Abby Zwerner was informed by Newport News Public Schools in May that she no longer works for the district.
“NNPS has processed a separation of employment for you effective the close of business 06/12/2023,” read a May 22 email sent to Zwerner from the Human Resources department.
Her attorney Jeffrey Breit said Zwerner was fired.
“I don’t think you can read this any other way than you’ve been fired. And that’s what she thinks. She doesn’t understand it; there’s no other communication,” Breit said.
The district said Zwerner informed them back in March that she would not be returning in the fall.
“The email that Ms. Zwerner received from the Human Resources Department is a confirmation of her separation of service from Newport News Public Schools,” district spokesperson Michelle Price said.
“Every employee who is separating from the school division receives a similar communication. Ms. Zwerner notified the Human Resources Department that she was resigning from her position as a teacher for NNPS on March 13, 2023,” the district spokeswoman said.
“Ms. Zwerner was an employee of Newport News Public Schools until June 12, 2023, the last day of her contract,” the spokeswoman added.
An email from Zwerner to the Human Resources department stated, “I wish to resign. Thank you.”
However, Zwerner was still shocked when she got the email, her lawyer said.
He accused the district of trying to force her out two months early because she is currently suing school officials over the shooting.
“To say we were shocked is an understatement; we have litigation. They haven’t paid her in a couple of months. They are trying to squeeze her. She has to Aug. 1 to leave or re-sign, (but) they fired her two months early. The only thing I can think, they were trying to put pressure on her because we filed suit,” Breit said. “It’s outrageous, as outrageous as I’ve ever seen.”
Zwerner has filed a lawsuit for $40 million against the school board and three former administrators at the school.
Her lawsuit alleges gross negligence and reckless breach of duty by former Superintendent Dr. Gregory Parker, former Richneck Principal Briana Foster-Newton, and former Richneck Assistant Principal Dr. Ebony Parker. Parker resigned from the school after the shooting, along with several other employees in the district.
The lawsuit also claims the school did not heed several warnings about the child who carried out the shooting.
Meanwhile, the district has not paid Zwerner since February, her lawyer said. The district told Zwerner that she should take worker’s compensation, her lawyer said, and when she would not, they simply stopped giving her a paycheck.
Zwerner was shot in her classroom on January 6 at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.
She was shot in the hand and chest while sitting at a reading table and teaching class. She was seriously injured in the shooting and spent nearly two weeks in the hospital. She was 25 at the time.
The 6-year-old used a gun that belonged to his mother.
The child’s mother, Deja Taylor, has pled guilty to two federal charges tied to the shooting, unlawful use of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm and making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.
