A substitute teacher at a Minnesota high school staged a graphic reenactment of George Floyd’s murder in front of students, said ‘police brutality isn’t real,’ and made racially harmful remarks before getting booted from campus, school officials said.
On Monday, the teacher put a student at Woodbury High School in suburban Minneapolis on ground to mimic how Floyd was fatally restrained, according to a letter from Principal Sarah Sorenson-Wagner to students’ families.
The principal also said the teacher pretended to point a gun at students, twisted a student’s arm behind their back, and showed pressure points on the chin and face, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
The teacher wanted the students to know what life was like life as a police officer, the letter said, noting that the he is not cop anywhere in the state.
Woodbury High School, a substitute teacher staged a graphic re-enactment of George Floyd ‘s murder in front of students
The teacher, who was subbing in two different English classes for sophomores and seniors, also spoke in graphic detail about dead bodies he had seen and shared inappropriate details of two sexual assault cases he claimed he investigated, KTSP reported.
The letter from the principal said he told sexist jokes and ‘invaded students’ space,’ one time fake punching student ‘really’ close to their face as he recounted a bar fight he had been in.
The principal also said the teacher said ‘cops would be the best criminals’ because ‘they know how to get away with stuff.’
He also claimed he got an ‘A’ on a paper about how to get away with murder.
The man, who wasn’t named, was banned from all schools in the South Washington County district, which includes Woodbury High School.
The Woodbury Police Department is working to investigate the incident, and a full accounting of events was filed with the Minnesota Department of Education as well.
The alleged re-enactment happened more than four years after Floyd was murdered by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020.
Derek Chauvin is pictured with his knee on George Floyd’s neck
In July 2022, a judge sentenced Chauvin to 22-and-a-half years in prison after he was convicted the year prior
Woodbury High School Principal Sarah Sorenson-Wagner
Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes, contributing to his death.
Graphic video of the murder triggered nationwide protests that demanded major reform to police departments.
Chauvin and three other Minneapolis officers were convicted for their roles in Floyd’s death.
‘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,’ Sorenson-Wagner wrote in her letter.
‘This reported behavior is reprehensible,’ she added. ‘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 principal said the school told its staffing agency, Teachers on Call, not to fill any future vacancies in the district with the man they dismissed.
Woodbury Public Safety has partnered with the school district to look into the allegations against the teacher, according to Chief and Director Jason Posel.
‘We are disturbed by the preliminary information of what occurred,’ Posel said. ‘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.’
