Parent who disrupted Baraboo graduation had 'past issues' with superintendent, police report says
The parent who pushed Superintendent Rainey Briggs at the Baraboo High School graduation had "past issues" with Briggs, according to a Baraboo police report detailing the incident.
In an interview with police, the parent said he dislikes Briggs and "wanted to prevent (Briggs) from having the satisfaction of shaking (the student's) hand."
The father was charged with disorderly conduct and is required to make an August appearance in the Sauk County Circuit Court. The parent said he was remorseful for his actions, but only for his child's sake.
Briggs told police the student "was expelled at one point from the school but (he) does not directly interact with parents regarding expulsions." The superintendent went on to say he could not think of any other interaction with the student's parents.
The report did not explain how an expelled student could go on to graduate. The Journal Sentinel is not naming the parent to avoid identifying his daughter.
The school's May 31 graduation ceremony was interrupted when the parent rushed the stage where diplomas were being handed out to prevent his child from shaking the superintendent's hand. Video of the incident went viral, and stories about it were published globally. The assumption was that the parent's action's were racist. Superintendent Briggs is Black; the parent and his daughter are white. In the police report, Briggs said the parent told him not to "touch his (expletive) daughter."
Briggs left school grounds before the school resource officer could interview him, according to the report. The officer contacted Briggs by phone the following day.
The police report includes interviews from the parent, Briggs, the school resource officer, and two off-duty police officers who were at the graduation.
The school resource officer also wrote in the police report that he believed the parent's pushing of Briggs may have been pre-meditated.
Briggs said "he has no idea why (the parent) reacted the way he did" at the graduation. However, he said he has dealt with numerous threats in his role as superintendent. Briggs did not come into work the Monday following the incident because, he said, he feared for his safety and was worried "his presence may attract dangerous individuals."
A judge issued a temporary restraining order requested by Briggs against the parent. In addition, the parent is not permitted on Baraboo School District grounds.
The incident — which has shined an unwelcome light on the south-central Wisconsin community — comes against a backdrop of controversy in the school district. School board president Kevin Vodak is the subject of a recall petition that alleges mismanagement of taxpayer funds and preferential treatment toward administrators, including Briggs.
"I am well aware of many members of this community and their negative feelings towards Rainey as a school administrator," patrol officer Mike Pichler said in the report. Pichler is a patrol officer who was in attendance at the graduation.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Baraboo parent disliked superintendent, police report says
