An unexpected scuffle erupted during a kindergarten graduation in Ohio when tensions flared over seating arrangements. A woman was accused of occupying too many seats, obstructing the view for other parents eager to witness their children’s milestone.
Craig Mays, a parent present at the Thursday morning event at Queen of Apostles School, recounted that the fracas began when another family decided to set up their own chairs, establishing a makeshift seating area.
This impromptu setup obstructed the view for Mays’ daughter’s mother, leading to a heated exchange with 28-year-old Jessica Anderson, who was seated nearby in Toledo, a city located roughly 240 miles from Columbus, close to the Michigan state line.
“The woman behind me was just talking, cursing, and acting irrationally,” Mays shared with WTVG. “She called us weird and told us to mind our own business.”
Following a brief verbal confrontation, Mays reported that Anderson’s group of ten—comprising five men and five women occupying the front two rows—unexpectedly launched an assault on them.
“I honestly can’t recall much,” Mays admitted. “I just remember being sucker-punched.”
Mays said a group of four or five men began kicking him in the head when he was on the ground, prompting his daughter’s mother to intervene and begin fighting with Anderson.
‘She grabbed my kid’s mom by her hair, pulled her away from me, started punching her face then maybe five or six other girls came and trampled her and were just stomping her, kicking her in the face,’ Mays added.
Parents began fighting during a kindergarten graduation ceremony at Queen of Apostles School when a woman was accused of blocking other parents’ views
Jessica Anderson, 28, was charged with felonious assault in connection to the kindergarten graduation ceremony brawl
Video of the incident captured the group of fighting parents falling over chairs and spilling onto the gym floor.
Anderson was arrested, charged with felonious assault and taken to the Lucas County Jail.
As of Friday, no one else had seemingly been charged in connection to the fight, even though the video showed multiple adults in the altercation.
Mays, who is also a kindergarten teacher, said he was heartbroken that he could not watch his daughter graduate because of the brawl.
‘I know how hard those kids work [and] I know how hard those teachers work for us just to ruin it and be selfish like that,’ he told the outlet.
Mays said he was considering pulling his daughter out of the school after the incident.
‘I probably won’t send my daughter back there next year,’ he told WTOL. ‘Just based on this situation.’
The Queen of Apostles School is a Catholic school with 120 students, which touts itself as being ‘especially dedicated to serving the Hispanic population of its neighborhood.’
The mother of Mays’ daughter was taken to the emergency room for treatment, he added.
‘She got staples in her head. She was bleeding. Her wrist is pretty messed up. Both her knees are pretty bad,’ Mays said. ‘It was a very bad day for my family.’
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The Queen of Apostles School in Toledo has about 120 students and touts itself as a Catholic institution ‘especially dedicated to serving the Hispanic population of its neighborhood’
Anderson allegedly caused ‘serious injury’ to a victim, whose name was redacted, by ‘grabbing her hair and striking her head against a chair,’ according to an affidavit filed in the Toledo Municipal Court on Thursday.
The victim required staples in her head at the hospital after the fight, the filing added. She was released on her own recognizance on Friday and placed on house arrest.
A preliminary hearing for Anderson’s case will take place on June 10 in Toledo Municipal Court.
Mays, who attended the Catholic school from kindergarten through the eighth grade, said he did not think something like that would happen ‘in a million years.’
‘I went there forever and nothing like that ever happened,’ he told the outlet. ‘That’ll forever be a stain on everything.’
On Thursday morning, Queen of Apostles School posted on Facebook that it was ‘so grateful’ for their partnership with the Toledo police.
‘We appreciate your rapid response to the situation that some people brought to our school,’ the school said. ‘All our students are safe, thankfully, and the last day of school continues as usual.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Queen of Apostles School, the Toledo Police Department, and Anderson for further comment.
Anderson’s attorney was listed in court records as Stuart S. Schwab, but there was no immediate contact information provided for him.
