A Wisconsin father shocked the crowd at a high school graduation when he went on stage to stop his daughter from shaking the superintendent’s hand.
Matt Eddy, 49, interrupted the Baraboo High School ceremony as he ran toward his daughter as she was about to receive her diploma Friday.
As he made his way through a line of school officials, shaking their hands, Eddy grabbed Superintendent Rainey Briggs by the arm and shoved him aside.
“That’s my daughter,” the man can be heard saying in the images, while his daughter appears mortified. At some point she seems to say, ‘I don’t want her to touch him.’
As his daughter made her way through a line of school officials, shaking their hands, Matt Eddy grabbed Superintendent Rainey Briggs by the arm and shoved him aside (far left).
Superintendent Briggs replied: ‘You better get off me, man. Stay away from me brother.’
Police escorted Eddy out of the building after the confrontation and arrested him for disorderly conduct.
Briggs has recently received backlash from the community, as have other officials and the school board, according to Wisconsin News.
A group of residents is currently trying to oust school board president Kevin Vodak, who was at the graduation.
Vodak has been accused of favoritism and offering inadequate salaries and support to teachers.
While the reasons behind Eddy’s actions are still unclear, social media users have criticized him, accusing him of ruining his daughter’s special moment.
While the reasons behind Eddy’s actions are still unclear, social media users have criticized him, accusing him of ruining his daughter’s special moment.
One YouTube user said: ‘He can’t be a great father to do that to his daughter.’
“She’s only going to graduate high school once and he decided to make it about him.”
Another said: “I don’t think there is anything in this world that could make me embarrass and disrespect my son like that.”
“Her face and her reaction made me want to cry for her.”
Meanwhile, the school district said in a statement: ‘Our primary focus remains celebrating the achievements of our graduates.
Briggs has recently received backlash from the community, as have other officials and the school board, according to local media.
Police escorted Eddy out of the building after the confrontation and arrested him for disorderly conduct.
“We want to ensure that the importance of this milestone and the hard work of our students are not overshadowed by this unfortunate event.”
The district added that they are working with authorities.
“We would like to emphasize that the safety and well-being of our students, staff and community members is a top priority…The Baraboo School District is taking this incident very seriously.”
The school board also issued a statement commenting on Eddy.
“No Baraboo School District employee should fear for his or her physical safety while performing his or her job duties or at any other time,” the school board said.
‘That this adult felt emboldened to behave in this way in front of hundreds of students and other adults should deeply concern us all; This type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
DailyMail.com contacted Eddy for comment on this story.
