A video from a Wisconsin high school graduation showing a man pushing away the school district superintendent before he could shake his daughter’s hand has sparked intense commentary, with some calling it racist.
The incident occurred during Baraboo High School’s May 31 graduation. In the video, a high school graduate is seen smiling as she receives her diploma and shakes hands with school officials. As she nears the end of the line, a man, who the district identified as the graduate’s father, is seen pushing Superintendent Rainey Briggs out of the line.
The graduate is seen pausing with a confused look for several moments before moving her tassel to the other side of her graduation cap and leaving the stage. Other officials watch as others take the stage and appear to begin to help deal with the incident.
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“Rude and racist behavior”
A citation from the Baraboo Police Department shows the father was charged with disorderly conduct and is scheduled to appear in Sauk County Circuit Court in August, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network. A judge also ordered the man to have no contact with Briggs after filing a temporary restraining order; A hearing is scheduled for June 14.
It’s unclear what prompted the incident, but it sparked accusations of racism, as the father is white and Briggs is black.
State Representative. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, posted on X that “no one should have to endure this type of crude and racist behavior.”
In an interview with the Journal Sentinel, Hong, who does not represent the district but has met with the superintendent, said she spoke out about the incident because it was a “very racist attack on a superintendent “.
“Unless there was some other deliberate reason why he would do this, he didn’t push anyone else out of the way,” Hong said.
There has been controversy in the school district in recent months. School board President Kevin Vodak is facing a recall attempt, with organizers saying he misused taxpayer dollars by raising the salaries of Briggs and another district administrator.
Vodak was also on stage for Friday’s graduation. The man who interrupted the ceremony did not stop his daughter from shaking Vodak’s hand.
Authorities released a statement condemning the father’s behavior
In a June 4 statement, the Baraboo school board said it does not tolerate “threatening, intimidating or physically harming behavior against anyone in our school district community.”
“We understand that there are many people who care deeply about the education of students and who are coming together with different understandings and ideas about how to best provide that education. We value civil discourse that allows us to have conversations about these ideas; at the cornerstone of our democracy,” we read in the press release. “As we prepare our students to engage as citizens and community members, the adults in their lives should provide models for how to engage in productive civil dialogue. »
The statement continues, directly addressing the father’s behavior.
“The fact that this adult felt encouraged to behave in this manner in front of hundreds of students and other adults should deeply trouble us all; this type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
Baraboo is a town of approximately 12,500 located near Wisconsin Dells and the seat of Sauk County.
In the restraining order against the man, Briggs wrote that the man told Briggs he was “not going to touch my (expletive) daughter.”
Incident remains under investigation
In a statement, the Baraboo School District said an investigation was underway into the incident and could not comment on specific details.
In the release, a district spokesperson confirmed that the man in the video was the father of a graduate; that he interrupted the ceremony by “charging the stage” and that a school resource officer, accompanied by two off-duty police officers, helped “manage the situation to ensure the safety of everyone present.”
The release also said the man was escorted from the scene.
“Our primary goal remains to celebrate the achievements of our graduates,” the statement said. “We want to ensure that the importance of this milestone and the hard work of our students is not overshadowed by this unfortunate event.” »