Community activists call for stricter standards following substitute teacher’s reenactment of George Floyd murder

Following the ban of a substitute teacher after he allegedly reenacted the murder of George Floyd in front of students at Woodbury High School, some community activists are calling for more rigorous vetting and training for educators.

According to a letter sent to students, staff and families by South Washington County School District officials, the substitute teacher is banned from district property and a report was submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education and the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board.

The board is responsible for licensing teachers and overseeing teacher preparation programs in the state. Training for short-call substitute teachers who do not hold a Tier 1, 2, 3, or 4 license is handled at the district level, said Emily Busta, PELSB licensing supervisor. State records indicate a person with the same name as the substitute teacher at Woodbury High was issued a short-call substitute teaching license in March of this year.

The man is no longer employed by Teachers on Call — a part of the national Kelly Education employment network — the third-party vendor which provides the district’s substitute teachers and hired the substitute in March. The company has “a rigorous screening process” for its substitute educators that is fully compliant with state standards and includes screenings “that go beyond state requirements,” according to company spokesperson Danielle Nixon.

Once PELSB receives a report from a district, it generally makes a data request to the district for its investigative materials and file, according to Maria Zaloker, a teacher ethics attorney with the board.

“Once we have the district materials, we then write out to the licensee with the allegations of misconduct and allow them to provide a written response. The Ethics Committee then reviews the file and makes a recommendation concerning discipline,” Zaloker said in an email. “The Committee then engages in settlement negotiations with the licensee, and if unsuccessful, the case would then move to litigation at the Office of Administrative Hearings.”

All licenses go through the same ethics process, according to Zaloker.

A call for stricter screening

In a statement last week, activists called for stricter screening for substitutes.

“This act is not only deeply offensive but also retraumatizes our community,” said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR Minnesota, in the Friday statement. “Such behavior has no place in our schools. We demand a full investigation, immediate action, and clear answers to the many questions parents and community have about this incident.”

The statement, which included comments from Hussein; Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality and Nekima Levy Armstrong, founder of Racial Justice Network, called for the state Department of Education and administrators in school districts to revisit policies vetting substitute teachers and work “to increase cultural competency for each educator who has access to students.”

State officials responded to the statement from activists on Monday.

“Schools should be places where students feel safe to learn and grow. MDE is aware of the situation and has been in contact with South Washington County Schools and Woodbury High School staff to offer resources as they support students, families and staff,” officials with the state Department of Education said in a response.

The letter also called for Teachers On Call to enforce more rigorous cultural competency standards for those it hires.

“Our onboarding process also includes role-specific training on topics such as classroom management and safety. Our review system strictly adheres to all state and district requirements, prioritizing safety and security in educational environments,” Nixon said in a statement.

How licensure for substitutes works

To work as a long-term substitute, individuals must hold either a lifetime substitute teaching license or a Tier 1, 2, 3, or 4 license or permission aligned to the assignment, according to the PELSB website.

To work as a short-term substitute, individuals must hold one of those licenses or a short-call substitute teaching license.

All Tier 1, 2, 3 and 4 teachers are required by state statute to take cultural competency training and each district is required to verify this training is completed, according to Busta. That requirement does not apply to those with a short-call substitute teaching license.

“I know that (Teachers On Call has) been around for a number of years and given the difficulty many districts are facing with finding substitute teachers, Teachers on Call has filled the need,” said Deb Henton, executive director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. “Many school districts that use Teachers On Call have had a great deal of satisfaction with the services they provide.”

Woodbury High School incident

The reenactment of Floyd’s murder was one of several “inappropriate and racially-harmful” actions taken by the substitute teacher last week, district officials said. The teacher has since been placed on administrative leave from the Prescott (Wis.) Police Department where he has worked as a patrol officer, according to the city.

The substitute teacher reportedly mimicked pointing a gun at a student, told sexist jokes, spoke in disturbing detail about dead bodies he had seen, shared explicit details about two sexual-assault cases he investigated, and stated that police brutality is not real, school district officials said.

The district is also collaborating with the Woodbury Police Department to investigate the incident, according a letter sent to parents by district officials.

Walter Dobgima, president of Woodbury for Justice and Equality, a nonprofit organization formed following the murder of George Floyd, said in a statement that the organization appreciates the school administration’s prompt response to the substitute teacher’s behavior and ongoing efforts for its students. Dobgima also said the organization would like to see continued support for affected students.

“When something doesn’t seem right, speak up. We all can emulate the students that experienced this ordeal. We are proud of the students who rose above fear and did what was right,” Dobgima said. “As a community organization with a mission to promote and foster equity, we are willing to support initiatives that may provide value to heal our community during this difficult time.”