A father who stormed the stage and pushed a school superintendent away from his daughter during a high school graduation ceremony in Wisconsin is now facing a restraining order. The incident occurred at Baraboo High School on Friday, when the man rushed the stage as his daughter approached Superintendent Rainey Briggs.
Video footage shows the father grabbing Briggs by the arm and dragging him away, shouting, “I don’t want her touching him.” Briggs, who is Black, can be heard responding, “You better get up off me, man.” The confrontation took place in front of an audience of two to three thousand people.
Briggs filed for a temporary restraining order on Monday, which was granted by Dane County Circuit Judge Nia Trammell. The order prohibits the father from contacting Briggs pending a hearing scheduled for 14 June. In the filing, Briggs stated that the father “put both of his hands on me to push me out of the way” and used expletives.
Three Baraboo police officers intervened and escorted the father off school property. The Baraboo School District has referred the case to the Sauk County District Attorney’s Office for disorderly conduct. School officials condemned the behaviour, emphasising that no employee should fear for their safety while performing their duties.
The incident has drawn widespread condemnation on social media, with Wisconsin Representative Francesca Hong calling it “gross and racist conduct.” The school district had previously faced national attention in 2018 when a photo emerged of students making Nazi salutes and far-right symbols.
