Former Assistant Principal Charged with Child Abuse after Shooting at Richneck Elementary School
On April 9, 2024, a former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia was indicted and charged with eight counts of felony child abuse after a shooting that occurred on January 6th, 2023. The victim is Abigail Zwerner who was shot by her first-grade student while she taught the class at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.
On April 9, 2024, a former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia was indicted and charged with eight counts of felony child abuse after a shooting that occurred on January 6th, 2023. The victim is Abigail Zwerner who was shot by her first-grade student while she taught the class at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.
Former Virginia elementary school administrator Ebony Parker was indicted and charged with eight felony counts after a 6-year-old student brought a gun to school and shot his teacher last year.
Parker committed 'a willful act or omission in the care of such students, in a manner so gross, wanton and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life' according to court documents obtained by CNN.
Each felony count carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.
Parker resigned about three weeks after teacher Abigail Zwerner was shot by one of her first-grade students, who survived the shooting.
Attorneys Diane Toscano, Kevin Biniazan, and Jeffrey Breit stated that 'These charges are very serious and underscore the failure of the school district to act to prevent the tragic shooting of Abby Zwerner.'
Zwerner's attorney claims that proper intervention by the school and its administrators could have prevented the shooting.
In a $40 million lawsuit against Newport News School Board, Diane Toscano alleges that concerned teachers and employees alerted administrators three times on the day of the shooting about student having gun.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Parker was responsible for the care of students at Richneck Elementary but fails to mention that she had resigned from her position before the shooting occurred. This implies a level of responsibility and involvement on her part which is not accurate.
The sentence 'Parker was responsible for the care of students at Richneck Elementary' is deceptive because Parker had already resigned.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority when stating that the charges against Ebony Parker are very serious and underscore the failure of the school district to act to prevent the tragic shooting of Abby Zwerner. This is a statement made by attorneys Diane Toscano, Kevin Biniazan, and Jeffrey Breit on behalf of teacher Abigail Zwerner. The author also uses an appeal to authority when stating that each felony count in Virginia carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.
The charges against Ebony Parker are very serious and underscore the failure of the school district to act to prevent the tragic shooting of Abby Zwerner.
Bias
(85%)
The author uses language that dehumanizes the student who brought a gun to school and shot his teacher. The use of phrases such as 'a willful act or omission in the care of such students' implies that Parker is responsible for what happened even though she was not directly involved with the child on the day of the shooting.
Ebony Parker, a former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary in Newport News, committed 'a willful act or omission in the care of such students' and showed a reckless disregard for human life.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Richneck Elementary School as they are reporting on a $40 million lawsuit against the school board and administrators. The article also mentions Abigail Zwerner who was shot by her student at Richneck Elementary School, which is another topic that could be considered for conflicts of interest.
The author reports on a $40 million lawsuit against the school board and administrators of Richneck Elementary School. The article mentions Abigail Zwerner who was shot by her student at Richneck Elementary School.
Assistant principal Ebony Parker of Richneck Elementary School in Virginia was charged with eight counts of felony child abuse and disregard for life on March 11, 2023.
Parker committed a willful act or omission in the care of her students that showed reckless disregard for human life.
Accuracy
Assistant principal Ebony Parker of Richneck Elementary School in Virginia was charged with eight counts of felony child abuse and disregard for life on March 11, 2023. The charges were not unsealed until Tuesday.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title implies that Abigail Zwerner was shot by her student when she wasn't. The actual story is that Ebony Parker failed to take action despite receiving multiple warnings of the boy's violent behavior before he shot his teacher.
The article states 'Assistant principal charged with felony child abuse in 6-year-old's shooting of teacher'. However, Abigail Zwerner was not shot by her student. She was shot by the boy who had been warned multiple times about his behavior.
Ebony Parker failed to take action despite receiving multiple warnings of the boy's violent behavior before he shot his teacher.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author commits an appeal to authority by stating that the charges against Ebony Parker were unsealed on Tuesday without providing any evidence or context for this claim. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing Abigail Zwerner's injuries as 'almost two weeks after being shot'. The article also contains a dichotomous depiction of Ebony Parker by stating that she committed a willful act and omission in the care of her students, but then failing to provide any evidence or context for this claim. Finally, the author uses an informal fallacy when describing Abigail Zwerner's lawsuit as 'a notice of claim sent to the Newport News School District by her attorney'.
The charges against Ebony Parker were unsealed on Tuesday without providing any evidence or context for this claim.
Abigail Zwerner was shot in the hands and chest, and was hospitalized for almost two weeks after the shooting.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains multiple examples of bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes the assistant principal by describing her actions as a 'willful act or omission in the care of such students' and accusing her of showing a 'reckless disregard for human life'. Additionally, the author quotes Zwerner's attorney making accusations against Parker without providing any evidence to support these claims. The article also uses language that demonizes Parker by describing her as an 'assistant principal who committed a gross act of negligence and should be held on $4,000 bond'. This is an example of monetary bias.
The article quotes Zwerner's attorney making accusations against Parker without providing any evidence to support these claims
The author describes Ebony Parker's actions as a 'willful act or omission in the care of such students'
The author uses language that demonizes Parker by describing her as an 'assistant principal who committed a gross act of negligence and should be held on $4,000 bond'
, according to court records. This comes less than two weeks after the attorneys for Abby Zwerner confirmed the former school teacher's $40 million lawsuit is going to trial.
Accuracy
Former Virginia elementary school administrator Ebony Parker was indicted and charged with eight felony counts after a 6-year-old student brought a gun to school and shot his teacher last year.
Assistant principal Ebony Parker of Richneck Elementary School in Virginia was charged with eight counts of felony child abuse and disregard for life on March 11, 2023.
A former administrator at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia has been charged with eight counts of child abuse and neglect
Former assistant principal Ebony Parker committed a willful act or omission in the care of her students that showed reckless disregard for human life.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author Kevin Cheek does not disclose any sources for his information and therefore it cannot be verified. Secondly, the title of the article implies that Parker was charged with felony child abuse but no evidence has been presented to support this claim.
The charges were filed in Newport News Circuit Court.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority when stating that the charges against Ebony Parker suggest there is sufficient evidence that students of Richneck were placed in peril by those entrusted with their protection. This statement implies that the school district has been found guilty, which is not true as it has yet to be proven in court. The author also uses a dichotomous depiction when stating that Abby Zwerner's attorneys allege Parker was warned three times before the shooting but failed to call 911 or put the school on lockdown. This statement implies that there were only two options for Parker, which is not true as she could have taken other actions such as calling her superiors or alerting security personnel. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when stating that these charges are very serious and underscore the failure of the school district to act to prevent Abby Zwerner's tragic shooting. This statement is not objective and may be seen as biased.
The charges against Ebony Parker suggest there is sufficient evidence that students of Richneck were placed in peril by those entrusted with their protection.
Bias
(85%)
The author of the article is Kevin Cheek and he has a history of bias against the school district in Newport News. He uses language that dehumanizes Abby Zwerner by referring to her as 'the former school teacher' instead of acknowledging her status as an assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School. The author also quotes Emily Mapp Brannon, who represents several families and has a clear agenda in the case against Parker. This creates a conflict of interest that could influence the author's reporting on this story.
The former school teacher
the very hands entrusted to protect them
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
There are multiple examples of conflicts of interest in this article. The author has a personal relationship with Ebony Parker and Attorney Emily Mapp Brannon, which could affect their objectivity.
The author mentions that he is friends with Ebony Parker's mother.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topics of Abby Zwerner and Richneck Elementary School. The article mentions that Ebony Parker is suing for $40 million in damages after her daughter was killed at Richneck Elementary School. However, there is no mention of any financial ties between the author and either Ebony Parker or the lawsuit.
The article mentions that Richneck Elementary School families are upset with school administration accountability.
The article states 'Ebony Parker filed a $40 million lawsuit against Newport News Public Schools in 2019.'
Former Virginia elementary school administrator Ebony Parker was indicted and charged with eight felony counts after a 6-year-old student brought a gun to school and shot his teacher last year.
Parker committed 'a willful act or omission in the care of such students, in a manner so gross, wanton and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life' according to court documents obtained by CNN.
Attorneys Diane Toscano, Kevin Biniazan, and Jeffrey Breit stated that 'These charges are very serious and underscore the failure of the school district to act to prevent the tragic shooting of Abby Zwerner.'
Zwerner's attorney claims that proper intervention by the school and its administrators could have prevented the shooting.
In a $40 million lawsuit against Newport News School Board, Diane Toscano alleges that concerned teachers and employees alerted administrators three times on the day of the shooting about student having gun.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses sensationalist language such as 'former administrator at Richneck Elementary School where a first-grade teacher was shot last year' to create an emotional response from readers without providing any context or background information about the school or its history of violence. Secondly, the article implies that Ebony Parker is solely responsible for the shooting when in fact there are other individuals who may have contributed to security failures and criminal responsibility. The author also uses selective reporting by only mentioning two cases where adults were held accountable for juvenile gun violence without providing any context or information about other cases where this has not been the case. Lastly, the article implies that Ebony Parker is being charged with eight counts of child abuse and neglect when in fact there are only four charges listed on court records.
The author uses selective reporting by only mentioning two cases where adults were held accountable for juvenile gun violence without providing any context or information about other cases where this has not been the case. For example, the sentence says 'Two parents in Michigan were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for failing to prevent their son from killing four fellow students,' which implies that adults are always held accountable for juvenile gun violence without providing any context or information about other cases where this has not been the case.
The author uses sensationalist language such as 'former administrator at Richneck Elementary School where a first-grade teacher was shot last year' to create an emotional response from readers without providing any context or background information about the school or its history of violence. For example, the sentence says 'A former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va., where a first-grade teacher was shot last year,' which implies that there have been multiple incidents of gun violence at this school.
The article implies that Ebony Parker is solely responsible for the shooting when in fact there are other individuals who may have contributed to security failures and criminal responsibility. For example, the sentence says 'Ebony Parker, was indicted by a grand jury last month,' which suggests that she acted alone without any involvement from others.
Fallacies
(85%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
The author uses the phrase 'former administrator' to describe Ebony Parker which implies that she is no longer working at Richneck Elementary School. However, this information is not relevant to the charges against her and could be seen as an attempt to diminish her role in the incident.
former administrator
The former assistant principal
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Livia Albeck-Ripka has a conflict of interest on the topics of Richneck Elementary School and Newport News Circuit Court as she is an ex-assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School. She also reports on Howard E. Gwynn who was indicted for shooting Abigail Zwerner, which may be related to her role as assistant principal.
Livia Albeck-Ripka is an ex-assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School where a 6-year-old student shot and killed a teacher.
The article reports on Howard E. Gwynn who was indicted for shooting Abigail Zwerner, which may be related to Livia Albeck-Ripka's role as assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School.
