Former Richneck Elementary School teacher Abby Zwerner looks back into the courtroom during her civil lawsuit trial last week in Newport News, Virginia. Stephen M. Katz/Pool/The Virginia-Pilot/AP

A Virginia jury will soon answer a $40 million question : Should a former elementary school assistant principal be held liable for the shooting of a teacher by her 6-year-old student?

Abby Zwerner, a now-former teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, is suing ex-assistant principal Ebony Parker, alleging Parker failed to act on concerns that the student had brought a gun to school in January 2023.

Zwerner was shot in the chest and hand while sitting at a reading table in her classroom.

Her attorneys have argued it was Parker’s job to make sure everyone on campus was safe

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