ARLINGTON, Va. — A high school teacher in northern Virginia has been relieved of his teaching duties after he cited the death of George Floyd in a chemistry assignment.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that the Arlington teacher asked students to insert the name of a chemical element to complete a sentence regarding how the Black man died in Minneapolis police custody.

The sentence read: “George Floyd couldn’t breathe because a police officer put his” blank “George’s neck.” The answer was the chemical element “neon.”

Arlington Public Schools spokesman Frank Bellavia said the teacher has since been “relieved of teaching duties pending an investigation.” Superintendent Francisco Durán apologized for the incident in a letter to families and staff.