Mentor HS Removes Snarky Mask Message: 'Not In Line' With Values

MENTOR, OH — An electronic sign outside of The Hub at Mentor High School flashed a message saying, “Not wearing a mask is SUS! Selfish - Unsafe - Sickening” on Thursday.

Mentor High School students crafted the message and a member of the high school staff approved it, according to the district. Officials immediately removed the message when they learned of it, and Superintendent Bill Porter said it shouldn't have been approved.

“This is certainly not in line with our values in Mentor Schools of how to treat one another,” Porter said in a letter to families. Mentor High Principal Jason Crowe co-signed the letter.

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Porter said the issue will be addressed with high school administrators.

“We sincerely apologize for displaying this content. We will make an announcement apologizing to our students today as well,” Porter said.

He vowed to use this moment as a “learning experience” so that it “does not happen again in the future.”

Masks, Vaccines, Debates

Like many other states, Ohio has seen numerous school districts debate the merits of mask and vaccine policies for both students and staff. It's a debate that has ebbed and flowed around the state as cases rose and fell.

• More information on Mentor Schools' COVID-19 policies can be found on the district's website.

Currently, the Buckeye State, and the northern portion of the state especially, is in the midst of a COVID-19 surge. Northeast Ohio's three largest hospital systems — the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, and MetroHealth — jointly announced delays to elective, non-urgent surgeries on Friday. They said the current COVID-19 surge is consuming too much bed space and taxing already thin staffs.

Between Aug. 1 and Dec. 2, there were 89 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among Mentor students, according to the district's dashboard. There were an additional 22 confirmed cases among Mentor Schools staff. Information at the school-by-school level can be found on the dashboard.