'Am I safe?' Baraboo superintendent wondered after parent shoved him during high school graduation (2024)

As Rainey Briggs was waiting in line to shake the hands of graduating students, a man rushed at him on stage during the Baraboo High School graduation. Initially, he wondered if the man was coming to protect him from something or if he was perhaps a photographer.

It was far different. The father was there to prevent Briggs, the School District of Baraboo superintendent, from shaking hands with his daughter, a graduating student, and pushed him away, telling him not to put his hands on his daughter.

The much-publicized incident was caught on video and has since become a flashpoint in the Baraboo community, on international media and on social media, with many saying racism was a factor, as Briggs is Black and the father is white.

“I knew that it was a situation in which I had to do something different than stand there and allow this individual to do what he was doing,” Briggs said to the Journal Sentinel in an interview in his home in Verona, a Madison suburb about 40 miles from Baraboo. “In that moment, I’m really thinking ‘Am I safe?’ … At that moment I could sense this, I want to say maybe rage or anger on his face, but not understanding why (it) existed.”

The Journal Sentinel is not naming the father to protect the student's identity and Briggs declined to speak to the specific student’s circ*mstances, saying she is a minor and a student. Attempts to reach the father have been unsuccessful and the reasons behind the incident remain unclear.

The father was charged with disorderly conduct and is required to make an August appearance in the Sauk County Circuit Court, according to state court records. Briggs said the father "absolutely" deserved to be charged.

Briggs said he had one past interaction with the father years ago but wasn’t able to speak about it as it involved a student. Though, he said, the two have never had a conversation, whether in person, phone or by email.

In a police report, Briggs told authorities 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 tell police he could not think of any other interaction with the student's parents. The father told police he had past issues with Briggs.

The report did not explain how an expelled student could go on to graduate.

“I wouldn’t have been able to place him to anything that I had ever done, to be honest,” the superintendent said.

Briggs takes time with family, incident garners heavy media attention

Since the incident took place, Briggs said he has taken time to be with his family and admitted he didn’t feel safe for a brief time in a school setting. In a police report, he told an officer that he did not go to work on June 3, the Monday after the incident, due to feeling unsafe.

This week, the superintendent began to speak publicly on the incident, with interviews in national and international media like Time Magazine and the Daily Mail. He said he and his family have received messages on the incident, with many in support and a small amount that were critical of him.

On June 3, he filed a restraining order against the father and a temporary order was granted, with a subsequent court hearing on Friday.

Briggs said he filed for the order to protect those around him, given the shove happened in a public setting at the graduation.

“Given this individual did this in front of 3,000 people … what will he do in front of five, ten, one?” Briggs said.

Baraboo scrutinized from shove, past

Baraboo is a community of about 12,500 people about 45 miles from Madison. It is a popular tourist hub, due to its circus roots and proximity to Wisconsin Dells and Devil's Lake State Park.

The incident involving the father and Briggs is not the first time the city has found itself in the spotlight for negative reasons.

The highest profile of which was in 2018, when a group of male high school students was captured in a photo appearing to make a Nazi salute. That photo went viral and brought widespread attention to the community and school district. Three years later, in 2021, a former student filed a federal lawsuit — settled by the district — claiming years of harassment and discrimination.

Briggs said those incidents, with the viral photo occurring before his tenure, did not give him pause when applying for the job and were not a point of emphasis during his hiring process.

Earlier this week, many residents told the Journal Sentinel they were weary of being judged for the incidents and that it wasn’t representative of the city’s residents. Briggs said the graduation shove or any of the past incidents don't speak to the community at large.

“I would say that just like any community that you go into, there’s going to be some things that happen in those communities that could draw a particular narrative or a conclusion for some,” the superintendent said. “I would say this incident and even the viral photo incident does not define the community.”

The shove at the graduation brought commentary from many on social media, including a state lawmaker who called it racist. The shove and past incidents have re-ignited community discussion about what they say — or don’t say — about the community.

“I can’t sit here and tell you that race has, or it does not have a factor in this,” Briggs, who became superintendent July 2021, said. “The only person that could tell you that for certain is (the father). He’s the only one that can really delineate his actions related to whether it was race-related or not. However, the optics don’t look good and I think that’s really unfortunate.”

School district under pressure from recall group

Briggs said the community is largely supportive of the district, despite some criticisms from a group hoping to recall the district school board's president Kevin Vodak, a member of the school board for over two decades. The group is targeting him for his role in approving administrator raises, including Briggs’, among other issues.

Residents have told the Journal Sentinel there was general unhappiness with the district due to bullying in the district but declined to elaborate on the record. A police detective noted in a report against the father who shoved Briggs that there was discontent from some in the community regarding the district.

“I don’t do my job for popularity… If I wanted to have popularity, I would probably join the circus,” Briggs said. “There’s going to be times that people try to tear you down. With that comes knowing that I’m doing what’s right, regardless of how popular that decision is or not.”

Briggs defended the district on its financial decisions and how it has handled bullying. He said he supported Vodak.

He said the district enforces and investigates bullying and harassment charges and denied there was an issue with it. He acknowledged some in the community have concerns about it but said they “make more of it than they probably should.”

Briggs, who makes $185,110 a year, also defended his pay and said financial decisions in the district have been made ethically.

“You can take my salary up against anybody in the state… take the whole package and see how do I compare to others,” he said. “And if you think my job is easy, I would welcome anybody to come and do it. But I know I hear all the time, ‘I would never want that job. I don’t envy you at all.’”

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