The superintendent of a school district in Michigan has been fired after he partly blamed George Floyd for his fatal encounter with police in Minneapolis.
WDIV-TV reports that the Grand Ledge school board decided to remove Brian Metcalf as the district's top administrator after hearing hours of comments from the public during a special meeting on Friday.
Metcalf had posted a comment on Facebook that Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer was “wrong.” But he also wrote that “it all starts with being a law abiding citizen,” and that Floyd was suspected of using counterfeit money.
Prior to the board meeting that led to Metcalf's dismissal, the school board president issued a statement last week acknowledging that the superintendent's comments were troublesome.
"We are deeply concerned about the statement posted by Superintendent Metcalf," Board President Denise DuFort said. "There is no place for it among the leaders in Grand Ledge schools, who are expected to value diversity and inclusion."
After complaints about his comments, Metcalf, who is white, had apologized and said he would undergo diversity training.
Grand Ledge is about 10 miles west of Lansing.
