A Wisconsin father has been charged with improper conduct after he allegedly pushed a black superintendent at his daughter’s high school graduation ceremony last week to prevent the two from shaking hands — sparking outrage on social media and in the local community.
The incident occurred at Baraboo High School’s graduation ceremony on Friday when a parent named Matthew Eddy walked up the stairs to the stage, Baraboo Police Department spokesman Capt. Ryan LaBrosian told TIME in an email. Viral video of the incident shows the unnamed student crossing the stage to receive her diploma and beginning to shake hands with several school district officials when Eddy grabbed district superintendent Renee Briggs by her arm and pushed her away.
In the video, Eddie can be heard saying, “That’s my daughter.”
In the video, Briggs can be heard responding, “Get off of me man. Get off of me bro.” The crowd can be heard yelling and booing.
There has been no official confirmation that the unnamed student crossing the stage is Eddie’s daughter, but in the video, the student can be seen looking shocked and upset by Eddie’s actions.
The viral video sparked outrage on social media, with many users on X calling Eddie’s actions racist, including Wisconsin State Representative Francesca Hong, who said on X that “no one should have to tolerate such hateful and racist conduct.”
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School District of Baraboo spokesperson Hailey Wagner said in an emailed statement that a school resource officer who was in the room responded to the incident, as did two other officers.
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LaBrosian said that after the investigation, Eddie was booked on a criminal charge of disorderly conduct. The charge was forwarded to the Sauk County District Attorney’s Office. LaBrosian said Eddie will have to appear in court after the criminal charge is filed.
Wagner told TIME that Briggs has filed a restraining order against Eddie. According to local court records, a temporary restraining order against Eddie was granted on Monday. A hearing is scheduled for June 14.
Eddy did not respond to TIME’s request for comment.
Wagner said “the safety and well-being of our students, staff and community members is a top priority” for the school district.
“The Baraboo School District is taking this incident very seriously and is working closely with local law enforcement to ensure a thorough investigation,” Wagner said in the statement. “Our primary focus is on celebrating the accomplishments of our graduates. We want to ensure that the significance of this milestone and the hard work of our students is not overshadowed by this unfortunate incident.”
The School District of Baraboo School Board condemned Eddy’s actions, though the board did not mention him by name in its statement.
“We understand that there are many people who care deeply about the education of students, and who come with different understandings and ideas about how to best provide that education. We value the civil dialogue that allows us to have conversations about those ideas; it is a cornerstone of our democracy,” the school board said in a statement. “We condemn anyone who engages in bullying, intimidating or physically harmful behavior against anyone in our school district community.”
“No employee of the Baraboo School District should have to fear for their physical safety while on the job or at any other time,” the board added. “The fact that this adult found the courage to behave in this manner in front of hundreds of students and other adults should be deeply disturbing to all of us; this type of behavior will not be tolerated. The School District of Baraboo Board of Education condemns such actions and asks the community to stand up and speak out against this type of behavior, which threatens the fabric of our democracy.”
Baraboo High School has been the center of controversy before—in 2018, a parent posted a photo online that showed several current and former students giving a Nazi salute. The superintendent at the time said the district was “not in a position to punish students for their actions” because they have First Amendment rights, The New York Times informed of.
