Judge Allows Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old Student to Sue School District

A judge in Newport News, Virginia has ruled that a first-grade teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student can proceed with her $40 million lawsuit against the school district. The judge determined that the injury suffered by the teacher did not arise out of her employment, rejecting the defendants' argument that the case should be limited to a Workers' Compensation claim. The teacher's attorneys argued that getting shot by a student in a first-grade classroom is not a reasonably foreseeable workplace hazard and that damages should be determined through a personal injury lawsuit. The school district is expected to appeal the ruling.