Authorities have decided not to file criminal charges against a substitute teacher who allegedly re-enacted the chokehold that killed George Floyd in a classroom at Woodbury High School last fall.
“Both the county and city attorney looked at it independently and determined that while the situation was awful, it wasn’t criminal,” Woodbury Police Commander Tom Ehrenberg said in an email.
Students told police the substitute English teacher placed a student on the ground during class to reenact the police restraint used in the murder of George Floyd. It was just one of several “racially harmful” actions by the teacher, according to an email from the school and district to students, staff and families.
Floyd, 46, died in May 2020 after Minneapolis police officers pinned him to the ground and ignored his pleas that he could not breathe. His killing sparked protests of racial injustice in Minneapolis and around the world.
The substitute was banned from the district after the Oct. 14 incident and fired by the agency that supplies fill-in teachers. He resigned his position as a police officer in Prescott, Wisc.
Our Earlier Coverage:
Substitute Teacher Banned After Allegedly Reenacting George Floyd Restraint At Woodbury High
Principal Hopes For Healing After Reported Racial-Harming Incident
