The superintendent of a Wisconsin high school district, infamously led by a daughter shoved by an angry father who didn’t want to shake an official’s hand, has accused the parent of doing more “harm” than good in the bizarre incident.
Baraboo School District Superintendent Dr. Laney Briggs said an apology cannot repair the damage Matthew Eddy caused at Baraboo High School’s May 31 graduation ceremony.
Eddie’s lawyers contacted Briggs earlier this week, saying his father understands the harm his actions have caused and is “remorseful.”
“Apologies don’t make things go away” – Laney Briggs He told the Daily Mail on tuesday.
“The communication was meant to show that Matthew understands the mistake he made, the harm he caused, and that he is remorseful,” Briggs said. “I took it as some kind of apology, but at this point in time, from my perspective, I don’t think it amounts to a solid apology.”
During the ceremony, just before her daughter was about to shake Briggs’ hand, Eddy ran onto the stage and shoved school officials aside.
During the ceremony in the school gym, Eddy ran onto the stage and shoved administrators aside before his daughter could shake Briggs’ hand.
“I don’t think an apology or ‘I’m sorry’ will make this incident go away, because so much damage has been done.”
Eddie was escorted from the building and arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct, and Briggs obtained a restraining order against him.
The 49-year-old father claimed he pulled Briggs away because school officials were appalled at the disciplinary hearing amid his daughter’s expulsion.
“I didn’t want him to shake her hand because he didn’t deserve to shake her hand after all the awful things she’s been through in this neighborhood,” Eddy told police in the video. Acquired by WISN.
“When I told him the same thing happened to my daughter, he rolled his eyes and I got angry,” the father said, saying the school had not treated his daughter fairly.
“She was kicked out for doing the same thing that was done to her, but nothing was done to those before her,” Eddy added.
Briggs said his sympathies went to Eddie’s daughter and the 250 other graduates who attended the ceremony.
“This is a moment for our students that will never again unfold the way they hoped it would,” he added. “They walked across the stage excited, feeling like they learned so much, feeling like they met such great teachers, and all of that got pushed aside to some extent that night.”
The superintendent, who is Black and took office in July 2021, said he didn’t know if he was targeted on stage because of his race.
“It’s not a good look,” Briggs added. “The whole world saw what it looked like, and it reminded people of what was behind this situation.”
“But at the end of the day, only Mr. Eddy can decide whether it was a racial issue.”
Briggs said he did not recognise Eddie when his father ran onto the stage, but his father claimed the family had interacted with Eddie on several occasions.
“I had no personal interaction with him,” the principal said, “and there’s no way I would have been able to pick this guy out in a crowd. It wasn’t until later that I was able to pull his name up in the system and find out who this guy was.”
Eddie’s statements to police after the incident seem to contradict Brigg’s, as the father-daughter duo “had issues with Rainey in the past and disliked him.”
“I wanted to prevent Rainey from having the satisfaction of shaking her hand,” Eddy told police.
