Newport News, Virginia, school board members are scheduled to vote on firing the superintendent after a trio of shootings that have occurred in the district over the past 18 months, according to reports.
The Daily Press, a Hampton Roads, Virginia, newspaper, reported that the impromptu school board meeting was announced Tuesday after two weeks of closed-door meetings on the issue.
Newport News Schools Superintendent George Parker comments on the safety parameters currently in place in city schools during a news conference at the Newport News School Administration Building in Newport News, Va., on Monday. January 9, 2023. A Virginia police chief says a 6-year-old student fired the gun that injured a Virginia first-grade teacher while she was teaching Friday, January 6, at Richneck Elementary School.
((AP Photo/John C. Clark))
Newport News School District Superintendent George Parker III has come under fire for the shootings, most recently on Jan. 6, when a 6-year-old boy shot his first-grade teacher, Abigail Zwerner.
VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISRUPTED TEACHER’S WARNINGS BEFORE 6-YEAR-OLD SHOOT HIM
Zwerner, 25, reportedly expressed concern and asked school officials for help over the boy’s behavior, which included threatening to set a teacher on fire and watch her die.
Instead of acting, the issue was dropped, according to messages from fellow teachers obtained by the Washington Post.
Police respond to a shooting at Richneck Elementary School, Friday, January 6, in Newport News, Virginia.
(Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)
Zwerner was teaching a first grade class at Richneck Elementary School when the boy pulled out a 9mm pistol owned by his mother and fired at him, hitting her first in the hand that was held in a defensive stance and then in the upper chest.
VIRGINIA’S MOTHER DETAILS THE MOMENTS ALLEGEDLY LEADING UP TO THE 6-YEAR-OLD SHOOTING TEACHER
The teacher is now stable and has been praised for escorting each of her students out of the classroom to safety, despite being shot. Another school employee ran into the classroom and physically restrained the boy.
Parker said after the shooting that the school received a tip that the boy had a gun that day, but was unable to discover the weapon after searching his school bag.
The shooting earlier this month, along with the 2021 shootings at Heritage and Menchville high schools, reportedly have teachers, parents and community members outraged.
The Daily Press reported that dozens of teachers and parents spoke out against the administration and called for Parker’s removal at a board meeting last week.
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Wednesday’s meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. and school board members will vote on a severance agreement along with a severance package for the superintendent.
Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
