A white father from Wisconsin's Sauk County is under scrutiny for alleged racist behavior during a high school graduation ceremony on Friday (May 31). In video footage that's gone viral on social media, the incident involved the parent rushing the stage and forcibly moving Baraboo Superintendent Rainey Briggs, all in an apparent attempt to stop his daughter from shaking his hand. "You better get up off me, man. Get away from me, bro,” Briggs could be heard saying in the commotion. According to WKOW, law enforcement removed the aggressor and charged him with disorderly conduct.

Many on Twitter, including media producer, author, and former White House aide Keith Boykin, alluded to bigotry as the reason behind the confrontation. "Tell me again how we’ve never been a racist country," he wrote earlier today (June 5). Meanwhile, News 3 Now reported that the man's actions were allegedly "in protest of how the superintendent... handled bullying incidents related to his daughter."

Hailey Wagner, the director of communications for the Baraboo School District, shared a statement regarding what took place.

"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 statement read. "We would like to emphasize that the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and community members is a top priority." It was also confirmed that an investigation is ongoing.

Notably, Baraboo High School made headlines for questionable issues in the past. In 2018, a photo surfaced online showing junior prom attendees performing what appeared to be a Nazi salute. In 2021, former Baraboo student Dasia Banks settled a lawsuit with the school district after accusing her peers of yearslong racial harassment and abuse. In a legal document shared by Wisconsin Public Radio, Banks told officials that she was called names like “cotton picker,” “slut,” and "n**ger."