A Wisconsin dad took a gathering at a high school graduation ceremony aback when he interrupted the proceedings by rushing the stage to prevent his daughter from shaking hands with the superintendent.
Matt Eddy, 49, brought the ceremony to a momentary stop when his daughter was about to receive her diploma. Eddy grabbed the superintendent Rainey Briggs by the arm and pushed him aside, shocking the attendees, according to Daily Mail.
“That’s my daughter,” the man is heard saying in the footage, as his daughter looks mortified. At some point, he appears to say: “I don’t want her touching him.”
The motives behind Eddy’s actions at the Baraboo High School graduation ceremony remain unknown, but social media users have criticized him for allegedly ruining his daughter’s special moment.
One YouTube user said: “Can’t be that great of a father to do that to your daughter. She will only have one high school graduation, and he decided to make it about him.”
Another said: “I don’t think there’s anything in this world that could make me embarrass and disrespect my child like that. Her face and reaction made me want to cry for her.”
The school district, meanwhile, said in a statement: “Our primary focus remains on celebrating the achievements of our graduates. We want to ensure that the significance of this milestone and the hard work of our students are not overshadowed by this unfortunate event.”
The school district has stated that it is collaborating with law enforcement following the incident.
“We would like to emphasize that the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and community members is a top priority… The School District of Baraboo is taking this incident very seriously.”
The school board issued a statement addressing Eddy’s actions at the graduation ceremony.
“No employee of the School District of Baraboo should fear for their physical safety when fulfilling their 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 trouble us all; this type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
A disorderly conduct charge against Eddy has been referred to the Sauk County District Attorney’s Office.
Baraboo High School previously made headlines in 2018 when a photo appeared to show students giving a Nazi salute.
In an exclusive interview then, Peter Gust claimed the predominantly white group of boys were simply waving goodbye to their parents, not making a political statement.
“I am very frustrated and find it reprehensible that people all over the world can snap to a judgment without knowing any facts and go ape — and it is coming from all over the world,” he said.
