An off-duty Wisconsin police officer who was working as a substitute teacher in Woodbury, Minnesota, is under investigation after allegedly re-enacting the murder of George Floyd, making racially harmful comments, and physically harming a student during classes at Woodbury High School. The substitute teacher, Steve Williams, was removed from the classroom and is barred from district property. Williams, a patrol officer with the Prescott Police Department, has been placed on administrative leave by the agency.
School officials stated that Williams put a student on the ground in front of the class as part of a reenactment of the police actions that resulted in George Floyd’s murder. They described the incident as reprehensible and expressed embarrassment and apologies to the students. Williams is also accused of making racially harmful comments, sharing explicit and disturbing details about his work as a police officer, and physically assaulting a student by twisting the child’s arm and showing pressure points on the chin and face.
The City of Prescott, Prescott Police Department, and the staffing agency that hired Williams have all condemned his actions. School officials have submitted a full report on the incident to the Minnesota Department of Education and the state Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board. Woodbury Public Safety is working with the school district to investigate the incident.
Woodbury High School and South Washington County Schools, where the incident took place, are committed to creating a safe and respectful learning environment for all students. The incident has sparked outrage and concern among the community, and officials are working to address the situation and ensure that such behavior is not tolerated in the future.
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