An image of an empty nursery classroom with a rug in the middle of the floor. (DGLimages / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin June 20, 2026 at 7:30am
Parents attending a kindergarten graduation at Queens of the Apostles School in Toledo, Ohio, brawled one another over their seating arrangements at the ceremony.
WTVG reported on May 21 that the fight — which led to none of the parents being able to enjoy the event — resulted in one arrest and one hospitalization.
Craig Mays, a parent who was at the event, told the outlet that the children were rehearsing downstairs when the fight started.
“There was another family who started to grab their own chairs and kind of like make their own space and make their own seating,” he described.
“Which I really didn’t have a problem with but my kid’s mom, they were right in front of her and she couldn’t see.”
*WARNING: Explicit language*
CAUGHT ON CAM: Fight breaks out at Toledo kindergarten graduation; woman arrested, one hospitalized >> https://t.co/eVU9ZsDmUz pic.twitter.com/GABrXtqpoA— 13 Action News (@13abc) May 21, 2026
Mays added that the woman behind him began “just cussing talking crazy.”
The woman, identified as Jessica Anderson, was charged with felonious assault.
She allegedly grabbed another woman by the hair and struck her head against a chair, meaning that she required stitches.
Anderson claimed in a subsequent interview with WTVG that she was not the party at fault and should have her charges dropped.
“I removed her from the pile, and then her arm fell into a chair. Then we were surrounded by people, and she was hitting me. I didn’t know what was happening, so I started swinging back,” Anderson described.
“I wasn’t the aggressor; it wasn’t my face that should have been blasted everywhere. I take accountability that I was involved. A lot of people were involved, but me being the only person charged was not fair. It wasn’t.”
Just days later, yet another graduation fight broke out at a Toledo school.
An 18-year-old reportedly assaulted an 11-year-old at a graduation for Pickett Academy, which is part of Toledo Public Schools, per a report from WTVG.
Other family members started fighting each as well.
James Ballard, 20, was then charged with misconduct at an emergency, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, for allegedly yelling and causing disorder with school officials.
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Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations, guiding the publication’s editorial direction, and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Pop Culture, Christian-Conservatism
