The civil lawsuit against the Newport News School Division filed on behalf of Abby Zwerner, who was shot by her 6-year-old student in her Richneck Elementary classroom , is set to go to trial on Oct. 27 — nearly three years after the shooting sent shockwaves through the country.
Previous coverage: Two years after Richneck Elementary shooting Abby Zwerner ‘is not going to stop fighting’
Two years after Richneck Elementary shooting Abby Zwerner ‘is not going to stop fighting’
On Thursday, a judge heard more than 20 motions from both legal teams ahead of the trial. Lawyers representing Zwerner and Ebony Parker — the assistant principal at the time of the shooting — went before a judge with blanket statements on what they believe should or should not be brought up during the civil trial.
Some of the motions included whether or not a child psychologist should be present during trial — which the judge approved. The judge also heard arguments for and against allowing text messages between Zwerner and her boyfriend talking about their frustrations with school leaders — although her boyfriend called Parker an offensive name — and whether the school’s code of conduct handbook for staff should hold any weight during trial…