VIRGINIA SCHOOL WHERE BOY SHOT TEACHER REOPENS
The Virginia elementary school where a 6-year-old boy shot his teacher reopened Monday with stepped-up security and a new administrator, as nervous parents and students expressed optimism about a return to the classroom.
Richneck Elementary School in Newport News opened its doors more than three weeks after the Jan. 6 shooting. Police have said the boy brought a 9 mm handgun to school and intentionally shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner, as she was teaching her first-grade class. Zwerner, 25, was hospitalized for nearly two weeks but is now recovering at home.
Several police cars were parked at the school as teachers arrived.
The sign in front of the building read “Richneck Strong” and was framed by two red hearts.
Other signs along the sidewalks read, “We are praying for you,” “You are loved” and “We believe in you.”
Students were greeted by a line of police officers, Mayor Phillip Jones, and other adults who gave them highfives as they walked into the school.
Jennifer Roe said she and her fourth-grader, Jethro, saw a therapist after the shooting.
“He’s excited to get back to school. He’s missed it,” Roe said.
“There are concerns, of course,” she said. “We talked through it. His therapist gave me a thumbs-up and said he’s good.”
Jethro said he still had some concern “it might happen again,” but that the increased security made him feel better.
“I’m still a little nervous, but I’ve calmed down a lot,” he said.
Melissa McBride, who brought her fourth-grade twins to school, said one of them wasn’t sleeping that well after the shooting, but the children felt better after attending an open house at the school last week.
“It was huge to see their friends and everybody being happy,” she said.
McBride said she was comforted when she saw the twins “going into school with no hesitation,” but that she was still “a little nervous.”
Many parents walked their children in, but Jordan Vestre said his third-grader,
Jaxon, asked if he could walk in alone. Vestre said he gave Jaxon a hug and “stood back a little teary-eyed and watched him high-five all the police officers and the mayor.”
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.”
There were two other shootings in Newport News schools in the 16 months before the Richland shooting. Two 17-year-old students were wounded when a 15year-old boy fired shots in a crowded high school hallway.
Two months later, an 18year-old student fatally shot a 17-year-old in the parking lot of a different high school.