Minnesota district bans substitute teacher for reenacting George Floyd's murder in class

A substitute teacher has been banned from a Twin Cities metro area school district after reportedly using a student to reenact the police actions that led to the murder of George Floyd.

The teacher also reportedly made racist and sexist comments to students at Woodbury High School on Monday, among other actions that prompted school officials to remove him from the school.

“It was very disturbing to us as a school district that something like that would ever occur in one of our classrooms,” South Washington County Schools Superintendent Julie Nielsen told MPR’s Minnesota Now on Wednesday, adding that in more than 30 years as an educator, “I have never heard of such poor judgment in a classroom.”

The substitute teacher taught four English classes at Woodbury High School on Monday, and Nielsen said there is video and audio of what happened. In letters to parents, Nielsen and other school officials reported that the man told students that he thought they “would want to hear about his life as a police officer.”

After learning about the teacher’s actions, school officials said they “responded immediately, removed the teacher from the classroom and walked the teacher out of our school.” They said he’s barred from school facilities.

The man had been used as a substitute in the district seven times since last March, including earlier this school year at Woodbury Middle School — with no concerns reported from that day.

Teachers on Call, the third-party vendor that provides the district’s substitute teachers, said Wednesday that he’s no longer employed by the company.

Later Wednesday, the city of Prescott, Wis., identified the man as one of its police officers. It said Steve Williams is a two-year veteran of the department and was off-duty while teaching.

In a statement, city officials said Williams has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

“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 read.

School officials said a report on Monday’s incident has been sent to the Minnesota Department of Education and the state’s educator licensing board.

School officials also said Woodbury police are investigating what happened at the high school on Monday.

In a statement, Woodbury Public Safety Director and Police Chief Jason Posel said the substitute teacher “has no affiliation with Woodbury Public Safety.”

Posel said his department “will continue to work closely” with the school district.

“The safety of the students, teachers, staff and our community is our top priority. We will investigate this incident to the fullest extent, while showing compassion to the students impacted,” he wrote.

‘Reprehensible’ behavior

In a letter to parents, school and district officials said the reenactment of Floyd’s murder included the substitute teacher putting “a student on the ground in front of the class.”

School officials wrote that students also reported that the teacher:

• “Twisted a student’s arm behind the student’s back and showed pressure points on the chin and face”

• “Spoke about a bar fight and fake punched a student with his fist ‘really close’ to the student’s face.”

• “‘Invaded students’ space and mimicked holding up a gun and pointing it at students.”

The teacher also reportedly shared names of people he said he arrested; shared explicit details about sexual assault cases he said he investigated; spoke “in disturbing detail about dead bodies he had seen”; and told students that “police brutality isn’t real.”

“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 letter stated. It was signed by Woodbury High School principal Sarah Sorenson-Wagner, South Washington County Schools Superintendent Julie Nielsen and Assistant Superintendent Kristine Schaefer.

Speaking with MPR, Nielsen said the school and district opted to describe in detail what happened because “we felt that our community deserved that information so they knew what happened in that classroom and how we need to move forward as not just a school, a school district, but as a community.”

School officials said they met with each of the four classes on Tuesday to listen to students, and will provide additional opportunities for meetings once classes resume next week after the annual statewide break for Minnesota teachers.

“I want to thank the students who reported this incident to me. It takes courage to stand up for and uphold our school’s values in the face of inappropriate and racially-harmful actions by an adult,” the letter stated.

Teachers on Call, the company that provides substitute teachers to South Washington County Schools and other districts, in a statement Wednesday said it was “deeply concerned” about what happened.

“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,” the company said.

It said the man had passed all required background screenings — which it says go beyond state requirements.

“We want to thank our partners at Woodbury High School for taking swift action to protect students’ well-being. We are cooperating with the school district and local authorities during the ongoing investigation,” the company said.

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