GREENER PASTURES

Virginia Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old Student Isn't Returning to School

Zwerner filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school district after she was shot once by one of her students in January.

Abigail Zwerner, the Virginia first grade teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student earlier this year, won’t be returning to Richneck Elementary School this fall. The details of her exit remain murky—Zwerner’s attorney claims she was fired, but an email from Zwerner reportedly said, “I wish to resign.” Either way, she made it known to the school district in March that she wished not to return, Newport News Public Schools spokesperson Michelle Price told NBC News. Zwerner filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school district after she was shot once by one of her students at point-blank range in January, piercing her hand and chest. In the lawsuit, Zwerner argued that she had repeatedly warned school administrators about the young boy, but that they ignored concerns that he “had a history of random violence.”