What to Know
A kindergarten graduation is supposed to be one of those days parents talk about for years because it’s so fun and adorable. Little kids in tiny caps join their proud families and pack into the school gym with nothing but good energy. Unfortunately, that’s not how it went at Ben Franklin School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A brawl broke out between adults in the middle of the ceremony, a toddler got caught in the middle of it, and the whole thing was caught on camera.
The fight apparently resulted from a domestic dispute.
CBS 21 reported that a fight broke out between adults during the ceremony. The video shows a chaotic scene where adults began to physically charge each other.
At one point, a toddler is in the middle of the brawl, and you can hear someone scream, “Oh my God, get the baby!” The next thing you know, a woman snatches the toddler from another person’s arm just in time.
Then, a different man put one of the parents in a headlock trying to get him off the other parents, Daily Mail describes after watching the video. The two men were separated after several other parents were able to get distance between them.
One of the men screamed “I like that!” many times over before he was escorted to the other side of the gym.
It was a truly chaotic and sad scene.
“It’s terrible. I can’t believe that happened. I don’t know why you would fight at a graduation,” Katherine Camilli, who was a witness to the fight, told CBS 21.
One man was arrested following the fight and faces a charge of disorderly conduct.
“You’re endangering not only my children but other children in the room. We need to grow up,” a resident who asked not to be named told CBS 21.
The school district issued a statement about the situation.
The Harrisburg School District addressed the fight in a statement obtained by CBS 21.
“The incident at Ben Franklin School was a domestic dispute involving adults. The Harrisburg School District does not condone such behavior, nor will it be tolerated on school property. The safety and security of our students, staff, and visitors remains a top priority,” the district shared.
Not surprisingly, the fight upset many people.
The video made its way to Facebook, where the reaction was swift.
“Wtf is wrong with people? Some parents are just horrible anymore,” one person wrote. “Why do you need to fight at a kindergarten graduation?!?! How sad,” another added.
Not everyone was without humor about it. “If you can’t fight at a kindergarten graduation, are you really even free?” one commenter joked.
Those kids will remember their graduation day — just not for the reasons anyone planned.
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