A father forcefully pushed away the superintendent when he tried to shake his daughter’s hand during her high school graduation. As a response, the superintendent has filed for a restraining order against the parent.
Last week’s incident at the graduation ceremony was captured on footage, which shows a man walking onto the stage as his daughter was shaking hands with school officials. To protect his daughter’s identity, the man’s name has not been reported.
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When the man saw Superintendent Rainey Briggs, who is Black, approaching, he suddenly jumped on stage and forcefully grabbed the superintendent’s arm, pulling him away from his own daughter.
As they moved out of the camera’s view, Briggs, who joined in 2021, can be heard saying, “You need to back off, man.”
Briggs is taking legal action against the parent and is currently seeking a restraining order. As reported by Wisconsin News, a temporary order was filed on Monday. Dane County Circuit Judge Nia Trammell has ordered the individual to refrain from any contact with Briggs until the hearing on June 14th.
According to his writing, the father firmly stated, “My daughter is off-limits to you.”
According to Briggs, he proceeded to “make some room” and firmly instructed the parent to “remove their hands from him”.
According to WiscNews, a group that included the school resource officer and three Baraboo police officers stepped in to address the situation and promptly removed the father from the school premises.
According to reports, the Sauk County District Attorney’s Office has received a referral for disorderly conduct from the Baraboo School District regarding the father.
In a statement, Hailey Wagner, spokesperson for Baraboo School District, made it clear that the safety and wellbeing of their students, staff, and community members is of utmost importance.
In the video, we can observe school officials chasing the man and Briggs while a woman tries to calm down the group of students who are expressing their disapproval through boos.
According to a recent statement provided to Wisconsin News, the Baraboo School Board firmly states that they do not endorse any forms of threatening, intimidating, or physically harmful behavior towards any member of their School District community.
They emphasized that no employee working for the School District of Baraboo should have to worry about their physical safety while carrying out their job responsibilities or at any other point in time.
Social media users have expressed their outrage towards the father’s behavior, following the incident, which has sparked widespread condemnation.
On X, Representative Francesca Hong of Wisconsin expressed her admiration for Superintendent Dr. Briggs, stating that he is a dedicated leader who prioritizes the welfare of all students in the Baraboo District.
She expressed her dismay, stating that no one should have to tolerate such appalling and racist behavior. Furthermore, she criticized the father’s actions, calling it selfish to rob his child of what should have been a joyous occasion.
Back in 2018, the high school made national headlines when a photo surfaced showing a group of current and former students performing the Nazi salute. This incident has brought attention to the school’s controversial past.
In the front row, there is a boy who is making an “OK” sign by forming his index finger and thumb. Unfortunately, this symbol has been adopted by far-right and white supremacist groups.
The photograph was captured before their junior prom and wasn’t associated with either the school or the school district.
In 2018, Lori Mueller, the former superintendent of the School District of Baraboo, stated to The Independent that the photograph of students shared on #BarabooProud did not align with the educational beliefs and values of the district. She further added that the district was investigating the matter and would take all necessary actions, including legal action, to address it.
