Education Minnesota pledges to support students during prosecution of Philando Castile's death

For more information, contact:
Chris Williams
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Megan Boldt
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651-245-9163 (cell)

ST. PAUL, Minn. Nov. 16 – Ramsey County District Attorney John Choi announced on Wednesday that he would file criminal charges against Officer Jeronimo Yanez in the shooting death of Philando Castile, a cafeteria supervisor with St. Paul Public Schools. 

Education Minnesota President Denise Specht released the following statement on behalf of Minnesota's educators in response: 
 
"The death of Philando Castile in July shocked the community of Minnesota educators and broke the hearts of the students in Phil's school," Specht said. "We knew right away there had to be more to the story and now Minnesotans will get the chance to learn all the facts as the case moves through the criminal justice system. We will be watching closely." 

"Our immediate responsibility as educators is to support the students as the courts move toward finding justice in this case," Specht said. "With each new development, our students will have more questions. We pledge to be there for them with resources and caring educators who can help them through the difficult months ahead." 

Castile was a member of Teamsters Local 320. Though he was not a member of Education Minnesota, his commitment to students was as strong as any teacher, college instructor or education support professional represented by our union.