MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — 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.
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.
Floyd died after a white officer pinned his neck to the pavement for 9 1/2 minutes despite the Black man’s dying pleas of “I can’t breathe.” Children were among the concerned witnesses, including a teen who captured the video, which was widely viewed on social media. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of murder.
Floyd’s death touched off protests that sometimes turned violent, testing the leadership of Gov. Tim Walz at one of the state’s most consequential moments, and sparking a nationwide reckoning over racial discrimination and police misconduct.
“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.
The South Washington County Schools district says it serves about 18,700 students at 25 schools in seven communities. It says 37% of its students identify as a race other than white.