Virginia school where boy shot teacher reopens with increased security

NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia. – The Virginia elementary school where the 6-year-old boy shot and killed his teacher reopened Monday with increased security and a new administrator as nervous parents and students expressed optimism about returning to the classroom.

Richneck Elementary School in Newport News opened its doors more than three weeks after the January 6 shooting. Police said the boy brought a 9mm pistol to school and deliberately shot and killed his teacher Abby Zwerner while she was teaching her first grade. Zwerner, 25, was hospitalized for nearly two weeks but is now recovering at home.

When the teachers arrived, several police cars were parked outside the school.

The sign in front of the building read “Richneck Strong” and was framed by two red hearts. Other posters along the sidewalks read: “We are praying for you,” “You are loved,” and “We believe in you.”

The students were greeted by a line of police officers, Mayor Phillip Jones and other adults who high-fived them as they walked to school.

Jennifer Rowe and her fourth grade son Jethro were among the first to arrive. She said they visited a therapist after the shooting.

“He is very happy to be back at school. He missed it. He was ready to return on the Monday after (the shooting). He’s very resilient,” Rowe said.

“Of course there are concerns,” she said. “We discussed it. His therapist gave me a thumbs up and said he was fine.”

Jethro said he still had some concerns that “it might happen again” but the increased security makes him feel better.

“I’m still a little nervous, but I’ve already calmed down a lot,” he said. “I’m happy too (back to school).”

Melissa McBride, who brought her fourth-grader twins to the school, said one of them hadn’t slept well since the shooting. She said they felt better after attending an open day at the school last week.

“They saw metal detectors and that was a consolation,” she said. “It was a calm atmosphere. It was great to see how their friends and everyone was happy.”

CONNECTED: Principal and assistant principal leave Virginia school where 6-year-old shot dead teacher

McBride said she was comforted when she saw the twins “wouldn’t hesitate to go to school”, but she was still “a little nervous”.

Many parents took their children to school, but Jordan Vestre said his third-grader son Jackson asked if he could enter alone. Vestre said he hugged Jackson and “stepped back a bit with tears in his eyes and watched him high-five all the cops and the mayor.”

Vestre said he and his son have come a long way since the day of the shooting, when Vestre received an alert on his phone while he was at the grocery store. When Jackson reunited with his family that day, “we had a mess,” Vestre said.

Vestre said his son “fully understands what happened.” But he added: “How do you talk to an 8-year-old about a school shooting? It’s ridiculous.”

Eva Parham said her granddaughter, a fourth grader, is excited to be back in school, especially in archery. Parham praised the various security measures that have been taken, including the planned distribution of transparent backpacks to students.

There were two more shootings in Newport News schools in the 16 months prior to the shooting. In September 2021, two 17-year-old students were injured when a 15-year-old boy opened fire in a crowded high school hallway. Two months later, an 18-year-old student fatally shot and killed a 17-year-old in the parking lot of another high school.

“Unfortunately, the teacher had to be our sacrificial lamb to shed light on this,” Parham said, referring to Zwerner. “I applaud her. And I’m grateful that she’s okay and that it caused such a reaction. I think it will help all the schools in Newport News.”

School board chairman Lisa Surles-Low said roses were distributed to students and therapy dogs were provided to all first graders.

Zwerner’s classroom, where the shooting took place, remained closed. Surles-Lo said Zwerner’s students would be in a different classroom that was painted and made to look welcoming.

“Some time ago I was walking around the building and (the teachers) are very happy to welcome their students again,” she said.

The shooting rocked Newport News, a city of about 185,000 known for its shipbuilding industry. It also raised questions about school security and how such a small child could have accessed a gun and shot his teacher.

Two metal detection systems have been installed in Richneck and two security officers have been assigned to the school, according to Michelle Price, a spokesman for the school district. Before the shooting, one security officer was assigned to Richneck and another elementary school. The officer was not in Richneck at the time of the shooting.

The security forces will also have a metal detector. New doors have been installed in classrooms where none existed, and other doors have been repaired or replaced, Price said.

After the shooting, the principal and deputy principal quit their jobs, and a new administrator was appointed to run the school.

Superintendent George Parker, who was heavily criticized by parents and teachers after the shooting, was fired by the school board last week. Parker said at least one school administrator received a tip that the boy might have brought weapons to school. According to him, the boy’s backpack was searched, but no weapons were found.

Zwerner’s lawyer, Diane Toscano, said that on the day of the shooting, concerned Richneck employees warned administrators three times that the boy had a gun and that he was threatening other students, but the administration did not call the police, remove the boy from the classroom or close the school.

Police said the gun had been purchased by the boy’s mother legally. In a statement released through their lawyer, the boy’s family said the gun was “protected”. Attorney James Ellenson told The Associated Press that he understood the gun was in the mother’s closet on a shelf over 6 feet (1.8 meters) high and had a trigger that required a key.

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Lavoie reported from Richmond.