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Virginia Teacher Suspended for Using George Floyd’s Killing to Make Pun in a Chemistry Assignment

Tenth grade students at H-B Woodlawn in Arlington were asked to fill in a blank about how Floyd died.

A Virginia teacher is under investigation after invoking the police killing of George Floyd for a pun in a chemistry assignment. Tenth grade students at H-B Woodlawn in Arlington were treated to a slideshow on Tuesday, according to ARLNow, which contained the question: “George Floyd couldn’t breathe because a police officer put his ___ on George’s neck.” Floyd died in May after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes, sparking worldwide protests calling for an end to police brutality and racism. “The content referenced the killing of George Floyd in an unacceptable and senseless way, which hurt and alarmed our students, staff, families, and the community,” Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Francisco Durán wrote in a letter to families. “The teacher has been relieved of classroom duties while an investigation related to this matter takes place.”