A New Jersey high school teacher has been suspended after he was recorded calling George Floyd a criminal\u00a0in a profanity-filled rant during class, school officials said.<\/p>\n
Video shows Howard Zlotkin, a teacher at William L. Dickinson High School in Jersey City, railed against Black Lives Matter and Floyd\u00a0during an online class on April 28.\u00a0.<\/p>\n
“I hear people whining and crying about Black Lives Matter but George Floyd was a (expletive) criminal that was being arrested,” Zlotkin, who is white, said in video obtained by WNBC-TV.<\/p>\n
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was recently convicted of Floyd’s murder, which set off months of protests worldwide calling for an end to police brutality last year. Floyd, who was Black, died last year\u00a0after Chauvin pressed his knee on his neck for more than nine minutes.<\/p>\n
Zlotkin told the high school students that Floyd was killed “because he wouldn’t comply with police” and that didn’t make him a hero, according to WNBC.<\/p>\n
Zlotkin was suspended without pay,\u00a0<\/strong>and information about the incident was\u00a0sent to the Jersey City Public Schools District legal department, according to\u00a0a statement provided to USA TODAY by deputy superintendent\u00a0Norma Fernandez.<\/p>\n “The District is appalled at the teacher’s unbecoming behavior and unprofessional outburst,” according to the statement. “His views do not represent the Jersey City Public School District’s focus on equity and the embrace of diversity.”<\/p>\n Boots On The Ground: <\/strong>The Black community in Minneapolis finds peace after George Floyd<\/span><\/p>\n Zlotkin was also suspended pending an investigation at Hudson County Community College, where he is an adjunct professor. In a statement, the college called Zlotkin’s comments “offensive and derogatory” and said his behavior violated the school’s anti-harassment policy.<\/p>\n Zlotkin told the New York Times\u00a0that he could not comment in detail due to the investigation but that he would “love one day to give my side of the story,” calling the footage a “very well-edited sound bite.”<\/p>\n Timmia Williams, one of the students in the class, told WNBC that Zlotkin appeared to target\u00a0Black students during his rant and that Zlotkin\u00a0assigned an essay to four Black students.<\/p>\n The New York Times\u00a0reported that the students were assigned\u00a0to write about\u00a0\u201cwhy Black lives should matter” for Zlotkin’s landscape and design class.<\/p>\n In class the next day, Zlotkin expressed\u00a0anger over Williams refusing to write the essay.<\/p>\n “You know what, Timmia, don’t worry about it,” Zlotkin said in a second video obtained by WNBC. “You’re full of (expletive), too.”<\/p>\n Williams’\u00a0mother told the station that her daughter cried about the incident.<\/p>\n “She came to me, tells me, ‘Mom why is it there’s a problem with my skin?'” Williams’ mother told WNBC.\u00a0<\/p>\n