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Woodbury substitute teacher who reenacted George Floyd's murder has questionable job history

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Published  October 17, 2024 10:41pm CDT
Woodbury
FOX 9

Troubled employment history for Woodbury substitute

New documents obtained by FOX 9 detail the troubled employment history for the Woodbury High School substitute teacher who re-enacted George Floyd's murder with a student. FOX 9's Leon Purvis has the latest.

The Brief

    • Steven Williams, a substitute teacher and police officer, was banned from Woodbury High School after using a student to reenact George Floyd's murder and making racially harmful comments during class.
    • Williams has a controversial work history, having resigned from law enforcement positions in Montana and Wisconsin, been fired from a security job for bringing a firearm to work, and received a D+ in an ethics class in college.
    • The Prescott Police Department placed Williams on administrative leave following the incident, while the substitute teacher agency, Teachers On Call, confirmed he had passed the required background checks.

WOODBURY, Minn. (FOX 9) - New information has emerged about the substitute teacher at Woodbury High School who was banned from campus after the principal reported that he used a student as a prop in a reenactment of George Floyd’s murder. 

FOX 9 obtained Steven Williams’ Substitute Teacher License Report from the state, and it details how he resigned from a couple of law enforcement jobs, got fired from a security job, and got a D+ in Ethics class in college. 

A photo has gone around on social media of Williams re-enacting Floyd's murder with a student. Williams is a police officer with the Prescott Police Department in Wisconsin who was substituting for a class at Woodbury High School. 

READ MORE: Woodbury substitute reenacts George Floyd's murder on student

The Prescott Police Department says that Williams is on administrative leave after the incident.  

Williams got pulled from the classroom after he reenacted Floyd’s death. In a letter to parents, the district said Williams made racially harmful comments and said police brutality isn’t real. 

Before coming to the Prescott Police Department, Williams worked for the Daniels County Sheriff’s Office in Montana, where he resigned in 2021. Williams wrote in the report that a deputy accused him of abuse of authority and harassment. 

William says in the report he didn’t file his response and was planning to resign. He stated the issue was reviewed by the Prescott Police Department. 

In 2012, Williams got fired from G4S Secure Solutions, a security guard company, after he accidentally brought his firearm to work.

In 2003, he resigned from the Wausau Police Department, with the report saying," I made unintentional mistakes in the performance of my duties that led to my resignation." 

FOX 9 reached out to Teachers On Call, the company Woodbury High School contracts for its substitute teachers. 

Teachers On Call said in part in a statement regarding the incident: 

"Our review system strictly adheres to all state and district requirements, prioritizing safety and security in educational environments. The substitute educator involved in the reported misconduct passed all required background screens before being placed on assignment."

We reached out to all of Williams’ former employers to get more information on why he resigned or why he was fired. They didn’t provide us with the information before this story was posted.