Trending Topics

Minn. school district bans officer from substitute teaching after he reenacted George Floyd’s death

The officer allegedly put a student on the ground to demonstrate the prone restraint that resulted in Floyd’s death

BY Steve Karnowski
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota school district has banned a police officer from working as a substitute teacher after a series of “racially harmful” actions that officials say included putting a student on the ground for a reenactment of the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis officer.

Trending
The man can be seen putting his hands up in mock surrender as a Berrien County deputy pointed a TASER at him; then he reached into his waistband, pulled out a handgun and fired
The 11 suspects arrested in the incident are accused of vandalizing vehicles and shooting off fireworks to lure ICE agents out of the center
NYPD
An NYPD trial judge ruled the officer should be fired in the 2019 shooting of a man fleeing a traffic stop; Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the officer feared for his colleague’s life
NYPD
The city will now hold monthly police exams, waive application fees for a limited time and allow candidates as young as 20.5 to apply

The staffing agency that placed him at Woodbury High School said Wednesday that he also no longer works for them, while the Prescott, Wisconsin, Police Department put him on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

The man was serving as a substitute English teacher on Monday when he told students in four separate 10th and 12th grade classes that they might want to hear about his life as a police officer, school officials said in a letter to students, families and staff.

Besides the reenactment of the actions that led to the death of George Floyd, students also complained that the substitute teacher “repeatedly made racially harmful comments,” “told sexist jokes,” “spoke in disturbing detail about dead bodies he had seen,” said “cops would be the best criminals” because “they know how to get away with stuff,” and “stated that police brutality isn’t real,” according to the letter.

The letter was signed by the principal of Woodbury High School and the superintendent and assistant superintendent of the South Washington County Schools district. It said the man is now prohibited from setting foot on district property. They also said they reported the incident to the Minnesota Department of Education, the state teacher licensing board and the Woodbury Police Department.

“I specifically want to acknowledge racial harm that occurred when the substitute teacher reenacted the prone restraint that resulted in the murder of George Floyd,” Principal Sarah Sorenson-Wanger wrote.

“This reported behavior is reprehensible. I am embarrassed, and I am sorry this happened to our students. We will take as much time as students need to listen and create open space for courageous conversations that lead to healing, action and education. The reported actions are not, and will not, be tolerated at Woodbury High School or in South Washington County Schools,” the principal wrote.

The city of Prescott, Wisconsin, later Wednesday identified him as Patrol Officer Steve Williams, a two-year veteran of the department. He was off duty and not serving in an official capacity, the city said in a statement.

“The City of Prescott and the Prescott Police Department find the current allegations, if true, made against Mr. Williams to be very disturbing, reprehensible, and we in no way condone his actions,” the statement said.

A Pierce County, Wisconsin, dispatcher said Williams was not working Wednesday and would not take a message for him.

Woodbury is a suburb southeast of St. Paul, and the eastern suburbs of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area extend into western Wisconsin, including Prescott.

The substitute was hired through Teachers on Call, a staffing agency that’s part of the national Kelly Education employment network. The company said Williams passed comprehensive background checks before he was placed.

“The actions of this individual were unacceptable, and the substitute teacher is no longer an employee of Teachers on Call,” company spokesperson Danielle Nixon said in a statement. “We recognize the significant public trust placed in us to ensure our substitute educators maintain a safe learning environment. We have a zero-tolerance policy for any form of violent, aggressive, or harmful behavior.”

Citing the ongoing investigation, she added that Teachers on Call is not releasing any additional information on its former employee.

Woodbury Police Chief Jason Posel said in a statement Wednesday that his department is “disturbed by the preliminary information of what occurred” and will investigate this incident to the fullest extent, while showing compassion to the students impacted.”

Department of Education spokesperson Anna Kurth said in an email that the state agency has been in contact with the district to offer resources to students, families and staff, but that under privacy laws it can’t confirm or deny the receipt of any report or investigation of alleged maltreatment of minors.