A Wisconsin high school superintendent filed a restraining order against a father who rushed onto the graduation stage to prevent him from shaking his daughter’s hand.
Baraboo High School Superintendent Rainey Briggs made the order after Matt Eddy, 49, attacked him during Friday’s ceremony.
Footage showed the furious father lunging at Briggs and grabbing his arm.
“That’s my daughter,” Eddy can be heard saying, as the crowd begins to shout and boo.
‘You better get off me, man. Get away from me, brother,” Briggs responds.
Police escorted Eddy out of the building after the confrontation and arrested him for disorderly conduct.
Baraboo High School Superintendent Rainey Briggs filed a restraining order against a father who rushed onto the graduation stage to prevent him from shaking his daughter’s hand.
In his restraining order, Briggs wrote that Eddy said he “is not going to touch my (expletive) daughter.” Wisconsin News reports.
He added that he “created space” and told Eddy to get away from him.
Dane County Circuit Court Commissioner J. Alberto Quiroga has since temporarily ordered Eddy to have no contact with Briggs until a June 14 hearing.
Baraboo School District spokesperson Hailey Wagner also confirmed Time magazine that Rainey has since filed a restraining order against him.
“The Baraboo School District is taking this incident very seriously and is working closely with local authorities to ensure a thorough investigation,” Wagner said.
‘Our primary goal remains to celebrate the achievements of our graduates.
“We want to ensure that the importance of this milestone and the hard work of our students are not overshadowed by this unfortunate event.”
It is still unknown why Eddy was so determined to prevent his daughter from shaking Rainey’s hand.
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).
While the reasons behind Matt Eddy’s actions are still unclear, social media users have criticized him, accusing him of ruining his daughter’s special moment.
However, a dispute arises between a group of residents and Briggs and the school board.
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.
Briggs has come under fire for his pay and that of other administrators, while contracts awarded to his consulting firms have also come under scrutiny.
Critics also noted high staff turnover during his tenure and student behavior problems.
The school district said in a statement: ‘Our primary focus remains celebrating the achievements of our graduates.
“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.”
Police escorted Eddy out of the building after the confrontation and arrested him for disorderly conduct.
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.”
A charge of disorderly conduct has been referred to the Sauk County District Attorney’s Office.
Baraboo High School made headlines in 2018 after a picture emerged that appeared to show students giving a Nazi salute.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com at the time, Peter Gust insisted that the virtually exclusively white group of children were simply saying goodbye to their parents and not making any political statements.
“I’m very frustrated and find it reprehensible that people around the world can make a judgment without knowing any facts and go crazy, and that comes from all over the world,” he said.