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A student at Westwood Elementary School in Waynesboro allegedly came to school with something other than books and gym clothes: they came armed with a kill list. The kill list allegedly had the names of teachers and other students. Waynesboro Schools Assistant Superintendent Ryan Barber addressed the matter in a message this afternoon to the school community writing that staff was made aware of a student notebook “containing threats toward other students.” Not all parents received Barber’s message, but word has gotten around, and not surprisingly, parents and the Westwood Elementary School community are worried and angry. “Parents are concerned, not only with the direction of public education, but the safety of our kids and the softness of society that has infiltrated our schools,” one parent wrote to AFP. “What are the schools going to do about this incident? When will they start putting their foot down and stop with little slaps on the wrist. Will this kid be back in three days? “What are the schools so afraid of? There should be zero tolerance for anything like this, and I hope the schools take the opportunity to send a stern message that this has no place in our community,” they said. “And what about the teachers that had to deal with this incident? What about the kids who may have heard? We must not forget them either. “We are facing so many issues in this country, and common sense seems to elude us often. I sympathize with the issues schools are facing, but it does not free them from making the tough decisions that are imperative to a fruitful future.” A similar incident occurred in the city at Berkeley Glenn Elementary School last February when a fourth-grade student admitted to having a “kill list.” The child’s bookbag was searched, but no weapon was found. The child was removed from the classroom for approximately one week, a parent told AFP, before returning to the classroom with the child they had threatened. ICYMI Virginia fourth-grader allegedly on ‘kill list’; parent outraged at school’s response Barber said a threat assessment is under way in reference to the incident today. The school system employs behavior analysts, psychologists, social workers, counselors and emotional learning educators. Barber said the school system is working to provide support as needed for the situation. “The safety of our students is utmost importance and when students behave this way we follow our procedures and provide appropriate consequences,” he wrote. “As always our staff is here to support you and answer any questions you may have.” Virginia Public Schools are mandated by law to have assessment teams in place to determine the seriousness of threats and the risk the student poses in potentially harming others. ICYMI UVA school safety expert: Threats more common in elementary schools than you’d think UVA professor and school safety expert Dewey G. Cornell, Ph.D., previously told AFP that schools are much safer than the public perceives. While a “kill list” sounds intimidating, Cornell said that research shows it is common for elementary school students to make threats to kill someone, and nearly all of these threats are not serious. Threats to kill are more common in elementary schools than secondary schools but rarely lead to anything more serious than a fight, he said. “It is understandable that a parent would be concerned if their child was threatened, and they did not know what happened in response,” Cornell, the director of the Virginia Youth Violence Project, said. “We recommend that schools share information with all parents who have students involved in a threat incident. “In most cases, a threat by an elementary school student is not serious and can be handled with discipline and counseling,” he said. ICYMI Threats among elementary school children require intervention ‘to break the cycle’ of behavior Dr. Amy Klinger told AFP that in addition to punishment, the school administration should look at a long-term support plan for troubled students. “The school has to walk the line between we don’t want a kid to be condemned for the rest of their school career because of one action when they were quite young and unable to really see the consequences of that,” Klinger, the co-founder of the Educator’s School Safety Network, told AFP last year. Attorney: Safety ‘needs to be the most important thing schools do’ A former Newport News elementary school teacher, Abigail “Abby” Zwerner, was recently awarded $10 million in a civil lawsuit against a vice principal after she was shot by a student in 2023. The troubled 6-year-old boy allegedly retrieved a gun from his mother’s purse and brought it to school in his backpack. He had just returned from a suspension for slamming the teacher’s phone. Attorney Jeffrey Breit spoke outside the courthouse saying the verdict sends a clear message to schools in America. “It needs to be the most important thing schools do — taking care of the teachers and safety of our students.” Related stories
