Substitute teacher accused of re-enacting George Floyd's murder and making ‘racially harmful comments' in Minnesota classroom

An off-duty Wisconsin police officer working as a substitute teacher is under investigation after he was accused of re-enacting the murder of George Floyd, making "racially harmful comments" and twisting a student's arm behind the child's back during classes at a high school in Woodbury, Minnesota.

The incident occurred Monday during four English classes at Woodbury High School, school and district officials said in a letter to the school community. The substitute teacher, Steve Williams, was removed from the classroom and barred from "stepping foot on any district property." He could not be reached for comment Thursday at a phone number listed for him.

Williams, a patrol officer with the Prescott Police Department in Wisconsin, was placed on administrative leave by the agency, the city said in a news release.

School officials alleged 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 the murder of George Floyd," a Black man who died in 2020 after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for 9½ minutes as Floyd pleaded for help and said he could not breathe.

His death sparked months of racial justice protests around the world. The former officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of second-degree murder and other charges.

School officials said the re-enactment was "reprehensible."

"I am embarrassed, and I am sorry this happened to our students," the letter says. "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 city of Prescott and its police department said that the allegations are "very disturbing" and that they do not condone the actions he is accused of.

The staffing agency that placed him at the high school said he no longer worked for it.

Williams is also accused of repeatedly making "racially harmful comments," telling sexist jokes, describing dead bodies he had seen in disturbing detail, sharing explicit information about two sexual assault cases he worked on, sharing the names of people he arrested and speaking at length about his gun collection, according to the letter.

Students also reported that Williams "twisted a student's arm behind the student's back and showed pressure points on the chin and face," "fake punched" a student while discussing a bar fight and "mimicked holding up a gun and pointing it at students," the letter says.

The letter includes inappropriate remarks Williams is alleged to have made, including statements that "cops would be the best criminals" and that "police brutality isn't real."

Williams said he thought the high schoolers wanted to hear about his life as a police officer, school and district officials alleged.

The troubling allegations in the letter are only a brief summary of what Williams said, the officials said. A full report was submitted to the Minnesota Education Department and the state Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board. School officials are also working with the police department in Woodbury to investigate the incident.

Woodbury Public Safety's director and chief, Jason Posel, said he was working closely with the school district.

"We are disturbed by the preliminary information of what occurred," Posel said in a statement. "We will investigate this incident to the fullest extent, while showing compassion to the students impacted."

Teachers on Call, the staffing agency that hired Williams, said he passed comprehensive background checks before he was placed at the school.

"The actions of this individual were unacceptable, and the substitute teacher is no longer an employee of Teachers on Call," 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."

Woodbury is about 20 miles southeast of Minneapolis. South Washington County Schools serve about 18,700 students, 37% of whom identify as being of races other than white, according to the district website.

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