Raymond School was placed on a multi-day soft lockdown in late September 2023 after parent Mitchell Berman’s in-person open records demand coincided with anonymous threats against school board members and the superintendent’s family, leaving parents confused and many pulling their children out of school.
Berman, now the Democratic nominee challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, arrived at the school office that morning after dropping off his kindergarten daughter and demanded public records related to board decisions. Superintendent Michael Garvey directed Principal Jeff Peterson to escort Berman out. The school was immediately placed in a “modified soft lockdown.”
In a letter to families, Garvey wrote that the action was taken “out of an abundance of caution and to avoid any further distractions from learning.” Students continued normal instruction under staff supervision, but visitors were barred. He emphasized the lockdown “is not based on a threat to our students.”
The lockdown was extended through the remainder of the week. An internal email from Coordinator of Teaching and Learning Dana Marty on Sept. 28 confirmed the soft lockdown would continue, prohibiting outdoor gym and recess and requiring scheduled group bathroom breaks.
Parents received little concrete information. Multiple families chose to pick up their children rather than leave them in a school under vague “possible disruptions.” One mother told local media the lack of explanation felt “fishy,” so she retrieved her daughter.
Behind the scenes, the district was under serious pressure. Garvey told fellow superintendents that Raymond was “in turmoil.” The board president had received a threat earlier that week. On the same day, Garvey’s wife received a letter in the mail threatening their daughter, her, her school, and even the family’s horse and barn. The threats triggered responses from law enforcement in four counties and five municipalities, with federal involvement because the letters arrived via U.S. mail.
In the same email, Garvey noted that a parent was in the office that morning “demanding documents from a different case we are defending,” adding: “My admin assistant does not need to be harassed at 7:15 in the morning.”
The soft lockdown occurred against a backdrop of sharp community conflict over curriculum and books. Newly elected board members had moved to restrict certain materials after parents complained about content involving racial, gender, and LGBTQ themes shown to students. The board also ended the district’s contract with a social-emotional learning program. Critics framed the changes as book bans. Supporters saw them as restoring age-appropriate standards and parental authority.
Berman later led recall efforts against board members and filed lawsuits over open meetings. That same pattern of aggressive confrontation is now being offered to voters as a qualification for Congress. The same approach that helped trigger a multi-day soft lockdown at an elementary school has no place near the halls of Congress.
In a race that already carries the baggage of Ashley Madison records showing activity around the time of his marriage, Berman’s confrontational history with a local school board — including the 2023 soft lockdown at Raymond School triggered in part by his presence — adds another layer of questions about the character of the man asking for a seat in Congress.
