NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Abby Zwerner’s attorneys are saying the grand jury report represents the residents of Newport News doing something Richneck Elementary School’s administration failed to accomplish in this case.
That is, see something, say something — and do something.
The special grand jury report released Tuesday listed many security and administrative missteps taken by Richneck leaders following up to and on the day Zwerner was shot by her student.
The report states there was no consistent school resource officer on campus, no working emergency buttons in classrooms, and that the former assistant principal, Dr. Ebony Parker, ignored multiple warnings that the student had a gun.
Parker is now facing eight charges of child abuse, each count representing each of the eight bullets that endangered the students in Zwerner’s classroom.
Zwerner’s attorneys say that they received this report at the same time as everyone else, telling us they learned many new details.
“Perhaps the most troubling is what the report lays out a concerning trail of evidence that apparently shows efforts by the school division to downplay disciplinary records prior to the shooting even taking place, then hide them afterwards,” said Zwerner attorney Diane Toscano. “If the citizen panel believes that this may have been a cover up, which is their words, I have no reason to doubt them.”