It was a normal Monday (Oct. 14) at Woodbury High School (WHS) in Woodbury, Minn. when students entered class expecting to continue their lessons with their teacher. But instead of teaching about English, substitute teacher Steve Williams took things way too far — and brought back memories of a traumatic moment in the city’s recent history.
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According to AP News, a Minnesota school district has officially banned Williams from teaching after a series of “inappropriate and racially harmful” actions transpired in the classroom. School officials later sent a letter to the WHS community detailing Williams’ shocking actions with students in four separate classes.
The substitute teacher, who is also a police officer in Prescott, Wis., told students he thought they “would want to hear about his life as a police officer,” according to the school officials’ letter. From there, Williams reportedly told sexist jokes, made racist statements, and most shockingly placed a student on the ground in front of the class and reenacted the restraint which led to George Floyd’s 2020 murder.
On Facebook, a parent reshared a photo taken by her child of the the racist showcase. In the picture, Williams can be seen kneeling on a student’s back while he lay face down on the classroom floor. Local reports also said Williams “twisted a student’s arm behind the student’s back and showed pressure points on the chin and face.”
According to the school’s letter, Williams’ inappropriate activity didn’t stop there. Allegedly, he also:
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.
Repeatedly made racially-harmful comments.
Told sexist jokes.
Spoke in disturbing detail about dead bodies he had seen, and shared explicit details about two sexual assault cases he investigated.
Shared specific names of people he arrested.
Stated that “cops would be the best criminals” and that “they know how to get away with stuff,” stating that he once got an “A” on a paper about how to get away with murder.
Spoke at length about his gun collection.
Stated that “police brutality isn’t real.”
When the matter was brought to Principal Sarah Sorenson-Wagner, she acted quickly. “I just knew I had to get him out of the school. I mean, it was very quickly apparent,” the principal said. She continued saying students “showed me a video of it, and they also had an audio recording of other things that he had been talking about in the class.”
And so with that, Williams’ teaching career at WHS was finished.
A Wednesday statement made by the city of Prescott, Wis. — where Williams is an officer— said, “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.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the South Washington School District, staff and students,” the statement continued. The police department is also conducting its own investigation into the matter.
Kelly Education, which owns the staffing service Teachers on Call, released a statement as well. “Teachers on Call is deeply concerned about the reported misconduct of a former employee on assignment at Woodbury High School.” The statement condemned Williams’ actions, and ensured “the substitute teacher is no longer an employee of Teachers on Call.”
George Floyd was killed in 2020 after Minn. former police former Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes. Chauvin was convicted in 2021 and sentenced to 22 years in prison.
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