NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — It's been almost four weeks since a 6-year-old boy shot his teacher at Richneck Elementary School.
Thursday night, people in Newport News came together to share thoughts and concerns with Mayor Phillip Jones. The topics ranged from high power bills to parking issues.
But at the heart of the conversation, was Richneck.
"You have young people who want to come into these roles that serve the public and they’re terrified," one Christopher Newport University (CNU) education student told the crowd of about 100 people.
One man who has two children in the division said he wants to have a say in who the next superintendent is. He suggested creating a committee of teachers, parents, and, of course, school board members to help decide who should replace Superintendent Dr. George Parker.
"That could be the first step in creating transparency in the community," he said.
Desiree Yvette’s daughter was in the classroom when the shots were fired. She took her turn at the mic to ask for more mental health resources outside of school hours.
"There’s a lack of resources being provided to the families, not just in the classroom, but as a school as a whole."
Another man said the division needs to bring a culture of discipline back to the classroom. He said schools need to act as places of higher education, not a daycare.
"When we allow kids to come in and dictate the pace, it drives away our teachers who want to do this job and they're not doing it for money. You also drive away the kids that want to learn."
An education student at CNU said watching what happened at Richneck has been difficult.
"I know myself and all of my friends who are becoming teachers were deeply affected by the Richneck shooting, especially when you consider that Abigail Zwerner is 25 and I’m 22."
She said since Richneck, she’s gone back and forth on if she wants to continue toward her goal of becoming a science teacher. Ultimately, she said she's staying on track to get inside a classroom soon, but she calls it a tough decision.
"I found out that this community that I’m supposed to be doing student teaching in is not as safe as I want it to be and I don’t think that I should have to choose between the passion that I feel for teaching the future leaders of tomorrow and survival."
People in the room did not hear directly from school board members or city council, but Mayor Jones assured the crowd everything they said is being taken into account.