Denis Lavoie/Associated Press
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A former assistant principal at a Virginia elementary school has been charged with felony child neglect, more than a year after a 6-year-old boy brought a gun into his classroom and shot his first-grade teacher.
A special grand jury in Newport News found that Ebony Parker showed reckless disregard for the lives of students at Rich Neck Elementary School on Jan. 6, 2023, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Parker and other school officials already face a $40 million negligence lawsuit from Abby Zwirner, the teacher who was shot and killed. She accused Parker and others of ignoring multiple warnings that the boy had a gun and was in a “violent mood” on the day of the shooting.
Experts say it's extremely rare for school officials to face criminal charges after a school shooting. Parker, 39, is charged with eight felonies, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The Associated Press left a message seeking comment Tuesday with Parker's attorney, Curtis Rogers.
Court documents filed Tuesday revealed little about the criminal case against Parker, only listing the charges and a description of the felony. The lawsuit alleges that Parker “committed willful acts or omissions in the care of such students in a manner so egregious, unreasonable and culpable as to demonstrate a reckless disregard for human life.”
According to Newport News police, the student who shot Zwerner took his mother's handgun from a dresser at home, hid it in his backpack, and brought it to school.
Zwerner's lawsuit describes a series of warnings school officials gave administrators before the shooting. The warnings began when Zwerner told Parker the boy was in a “violent mood,” threatened to hit a kindergartener and was glaring at a security guard in the lunchroom, according to the complaint. .
When Zwerner expressed concern, Parker “didn't respond or even look up,” according to the complaint.
Concerns were raised that the child may have transferred the gun from the backpack to his pocket, the complaint said, but Parker said “the pocket was too small to contain the handgun, so he did nothing.” That's what it means.
The guidance counselor also asked Parker for permission to search for the boy, but Parker “prevented her from doing so, stating that John Doe's mother would be coming to pick him up soon,” the complaint said.
Police said Zwerner was sitting at a reading table in front of the class when the boy fired the gun. The bullet struck Zwerner in the hand and then into his chest, collapsing one of his lungs. Her complaint says she was hospitalized for nearly two weeks, and she has endured multiple surgeries and ongoing emotional trauma.
Parker and other defendants in the lawsuit, including the former superintendent and the Newport News School Board, are seeking to block Zwirner's suit.
They argue that Zwirner's injuries fall under Virginia's workers' compensation law. Their arguments have so far not been successful in blocking the lawsuit. A trial date in Zwerner's case is scheduled for January.
Prosecutors said a year ago they were investigating whether “acts or omissions” by school officials could lead to criminal charges.
Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney Howard Gwynn said in April 2023 that he petitioned a special grand jury to investigate whether any “security failures” contributed to the shooting. Gwinn wrote that the investigation could also lead to recommendations “in the hope that a situation like this never occurs again.”
This is not the first school shooting to prompt a criminal investigation into school authorities. For example, a former school resource officer accused of hiding in the 2018 Parkland school massacre was acquitted on all charges last year.
Chuck Burgon, a professor of education law and policy at the University of Michigan-Flint, told The Associated Press last year that claims of criminal negligence are difficult to prove, making it difficult for teachers and school officials to be prosecuted in school shootings. said it is rare. .
Victims of school shootings often seek to hold school officials accountable in civil court, he said.