The superintendent of a Wisconsin highschool who was shoved by an outraged father throughout his daughter’s commencement has offered extra element on the incident, citing fears of potential gun violence.
Baraboo Faculty District Superintendent Rainey Briggs was pushed by Matthew Eddy, 49, to cease him from shaking his graduating daughter’s hand on the Baraboo Excessive Faculty graduation when she was receiving her diploma.
Briggs stated whereas he initially thought Eddy was a staffer working the occasion, he realized the scenario was far more severe when the fuming father stormed towards him.
He was additionally anxious that Eddy had a weapon on him.
‘That is any individual who’s coming proper to me and making an attempt to place his fingers on me,’ Briggs stated, describing the incident. ‘At that time, I am like, “Maintain on, again up, give me some house.”‘
The superintendent of a Wisconsin highschool who was shoved by an outraged father throughout his daughter’s commencement has lastly broke his silence
Baraboo Faculty District Superintendent Rainey Briggs (pictured) was pushed by Matthew Eddy, 49, to cease him from shaking his graduating daughter’s hand on the Baraboo Excessive Faculty graduation when she was receiving her diploma. Right here he’s pictured in a courtroom listening to that passed off Friday in regards to the incident.
Whereas Briggs stated he did not acknowledge Eddy when he got here charging at him, Eddy has reportedly held a constructing resentment for the superintendent
He later defined he was livid over the district’s therapy of his daughter, who had been expelled for disciplinary causes that haven’t been publicly disclosed.
‘You aren’t going to the touch my f***ing daughter,’ the daddy may very well be heard saying in video proof introduced by Briggs in a courtroom listening to Friday.
The superintendent stated what pains him essentially the most about this incident, which has garnered nationwide consideration, is that the confrontation took priority over the achievements of the category of 2024.
‘My coronary heart goes out to the scholars, (Eddy’s) daughter, and to the three,000 individuals who have been in that house who actually noticed one thing that should not have occurred, however did,’ Briggs stated in a press release.
This incident has pushed district officers to rent elevated safety in addition to a police presence throughout future faculty occasions involving the college group.
Throughout the listening to, Briggs was granted a four-year restraining order in opposition to Eddy which carries a $10,000 superb and as much as 90 days in jail if violated.
Briggs had made the case in Friday’s listening to that he wanted the order to make sure not simply his security but in addition household, colleagues, and college students he encounters every day.
‘The underside line is I work with superintendents all throughout the nation and there’s not one superintendent within the nation that may attest to this ever occurring to them,’ he stated. ‘And the break in security, the break in civility is simply unprecedented throughout the work we do daily as educators.
Eddy advised the police that his daughter was expelled for an unspecified motion. Her father claimed that very same motion was additionally achieved in opposition to her by one other particular person.
What set Eddy over the sting is that when he allegedly introduced this as much as Briggs, the superintendent ‘rolled his eyes’ and dismissed his issues.
Briggs, nonetheless, countered that Eddy had ‘two to 3 years’ to debate the problem however by no means did, and stated he was unaware Eddy had a problem with him to start with.
In an unique interview on Tuesday, Briggs advised DailyMail.com that Eddy’s lawyer referred to as him providing regret a day earlier.
However in the course of the interview at his residence, Briggs stated, ‘An apology simply would not make issues go away.’
Matt Eddy, 49, rushed to the stage at his daughter’s highschool commencement to cease the superintendent from shaking her hand
Whereas Briggs stated he did not acknowledge Eddy when he got here charging at him, Eddy has reportedly held a constructing resentment for the superintendent of three years for the way in which his daughter was handled throughout her expulsion
Eddy was escorted out of the constructing following the confrontation and arrested for disorderly conduct.
‘I do not assume an apology, an “I am sorry” makes this go away as a result of there’s quite a lot of hurt that was precipitated,’ Briggs advised DailyMail.com.
Whereas Briggs confirmed the daughter’s expulsion, he denied any prior interactions with Eddy earlier than the commencement ceremony.
Throughout a courtroom listening to on Friday, Eddy’s lawyer, Karl Gebhard III, tried to apologize to Briggs on his shopper’s behalf. Nonetheless, Briggs dismissed the apology, calling it insincere and inadequate.
Notably, Eddy himself wasn’t even current on the listening to.
‘For those who felt like there was a problem with a call I made or the board made, there have been two years that you possibly can have come and sat down and talked to me versus ready till commencement to come back up on stage and smash it for the youngsters,’ Briggs stated
Briggs advised the courtroom he wanted the restraining order not simply his security but in addition household, colleagues, and college students he encounters every day
Eddy’s lawyer advised the courtroom his actions have been ‘immature, patronizing, extremely embarrassing’
The incident went viral, igniting social media discussions about potential racial bias. Eddy is white and Briggs was the one black man amongst a number of directors lined up on the stage at hand out diplomas and congratulate the grads.
‘My shopper would have made that very same determination at the moment regardless of who the superintendent was,’ Eddy’s lawyer stated.
Briggs by no means instantly accused Eddy of racism.
‘What I did say is that the optics do not look good,’ he stated. ‘And I need to be very clear that the optics do not look good given it wasn’t particularly Dr. Briggs that did one thing, however Dr. Briggs was the one which was attacked.’
Decide Nia Trammel sided with the superintendent and stated the proof ‘definitely suggests to the courtroom that there was an try to intimidate’.
‘At the same time as Dr. Briggs tried to create house between him and Mr. Eddy, Mr. Eddy continued to strategy him, and he in the end needed to be escorted off the property within the course of by off-duty law enforcement officials,’ the choose stated in granting the order.
Eddy’s lawyer Gebhard defined away his actions as that of an immature dad.
‘The reality right here is now we have a father who was upset with how his daughter was handled by the district, and notably the superintendent,’ he stated. ‘My shopper’s actions are immature, patronizing, extremely embarrassing.’
However Gebhard argued that his shopper did not really harm, threaten or try to intimidate Briggs.
Briggs advised DailyMail.com he isn’t able to forgive the actions and that an apology will not simply make it go away
‘My shopper made a mistake, and it was an embarrassing, immature act,’ he stated. ‘However your honor, immature acts should not harassment.’
Video of Eddy’s interview with police was obtained by DailyMail.com, and Briggs in the course of the listening to clicked on the posted video, displaying it to the choose.
‘I did not need him to have the ability to shake her f*****g hand as a result of he didn’t deserve it after all of the s**t she went by way of on this district,’ Eddy advised investigators.
As his daughter strikes by way of the procession, Eddy rushed in entrance of the stage, clapping for his daughter, then leapt over the steps to achieve Briggs.
After pulling the superintended to the again, the 2 males change phrases then Briggs pushes Eddy away.
That’s when Baraboo Excessive Faculty principal Steve Considine, seen sporting a tan jacket, inserts himself between the 2 males.
‘After I hear Dr. Briggs say one thing to the impact of “get your fingers off of me…” that is once I turned my head and see there was some form of scuffle,’ stated Considine.
‘That is once I went in entrance and inserted myself between Dr. Briggs and this man, Mr. Eddy, I do not know his title, after which he was pushing again in opposition to me.’
In footage of a police interview obtained by DailyMail.com, Eddy tried to assert he didn’t provoke the bodily contact between the 2 males
A number of others take part on breaking apart the confrontation and Eddy goes behind the stage curtain.
The confrontation occurred throughout a time of battle within the district. The superintendent and the college board have been below hearth by a gaggle of outraged residents.
They’re at present making an attempt to recall faculty board president Kevin Vodak, who was on the commencement.
Vodak has been accused of favoritism and offering insufficient pay and help for lecturers.
Briggs has been criticized for his wage and people of different directors, whereas contracts awarded to his consulting corporations have additionally come below scrutiny.
Critics additionally pointed to a excessive turnover of employees throughout his tenure and scholar conduct issues.
The varsity district stated in a press release: ‘Our main focus stays on celebrating the achievements of our graduates.
Nonetheless, surveillance footage exhibits that when Eddy jumped on stage, he grabbed Briggs arm and walked him in the direction of the curtain
‘We need to make sure that the importance of this milestone and the onerous work of our college students should not overshadowed by this unlucky occasion.’
The district added that it’s working with legislation enforcement.
‘We wish to emphasize that the security and well-being of our college students, employees, and group members is a high precedence… The Faculty District of Baraboo is taking this incident very critically.’
