Minnesota school bans sub who reenacted George Floyd’s murder on student: ‘Behavior is reprehensible’

A Minnesota high school substitute teacher was banned from campus after he allegedly kneeled on the back of a student to reenact the 2020 murder of George Floyd while claiming “police brutality isn’t real.”

The instructor, who claimed he was a police officer, was subbing at Woodbury High School in Woodbury on Monday when he placed a student on the ground in front of the class and reenacted the prone restraint used by Minneapolis police that killed Floyd in May 2020, according to local reports. 

A photo posted publicly on Facebook by a student’s mother shows a man, wearing a lanyard with what appears to be a school ID, kneeling on a student lying face down on the ground with his arms outstretched.

Students reported the substitute teacher’s actions and he was subsequently barred from the school.

“This reported behavior is reprehensible,” Principal Sarah Sorenson-Wagner told parents, students and staff in an email following the incident, specifically noting the racial harm inflicted, according to KMSP.

“I am embarrassed, and I am sorry this happened to our students.”

Floyd, 46, died on May 25, 2020 when officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, pinned him to the ground with a knee on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes.

Floyd repeatedly pleaded he couldn’t breathe while he was being restrained. His death ignited months of nationwide protests and Chauvin was sentenced to 22 years in prison on murder charges in 2021.

The teacher, who taught four separate English classes to sophomore and senior students, is also accused of twisting a student’s arm behind his back, demonstrating different facial pressure points, mimicking pointing a gun at students and making repeated racial, sexist and inappropriate comments to students, the principal said. 

Students also reported that the substitute teacher invaded their personal space, provided names of people he arrested, detailed sexual assault cases he investigated and spoke at length about his gun collection, according to KMSP.

The instructor is also accused of saying “police brutality isn’t real” and that “cops would be the best criminals,” adding that he once got a passing grade on a paper detailing how to get away with murder, according to the school.

“The reported actions are not, and will not, be tolerated at Woodbury High School or in South Washington County Schools,” the principal wrote, adding that the teacher, who is not an officer in Minnesota, thought students would want to hear about his life, according to outlets.

The school — which didn’t identify the sub by name — said his actions were reported to the Minnesota Department of Education, the state teacher licensing board and the Woodbury Police Department, AP reported.

Woodbury Police Chief Jason Posel said his department is “disturbed” by what occurred and will investigate the incident to the fullest extent with the school district, according to the outlet.   

Teachers on Call, a substitute-contracted vendor, said Wednesday that the sub is no longer employed with their company. 

“The actions of this individual were unacceptable, and the substitute teacher is no longer an employee of Teachers on Call,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to AP. 

“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.”