The Mentor Exempted Village Board of Education approved the district parent-student handbooks for the 2025–26 school year and voted to remove handbook language that advised bullying victims to “use humor.”

During discussion trustees identified several handbook items requiring clarification or additional legal review: counseling and parental-notification language (in light of the state "parental bill of rights"), library book opt-in/opt-out language and whether some subjects require explicit parental notification, inclusion of artificial intelligence/plagiarism language, and references to cell-phone rules. One trustee specifically moved to “strike any and all use of humor related to bullying language in all three levels” of the handbook; the motion passed 5–0.

Board members also asked administration to verify that counseling sections comply with state law and to confirm where district discipline and complaint procedures (including any processes tied to the SRO agreement) will be published so parents know how to file complaints. Staff said outside counseling agreements are already governed by contract language but that guidance counselors and in-district procedures should be reviewed by legal counsel to ensure consistency with recent state requirements.

The board approved other consent agenda items during the meeting (consent approvals were recorded on the roll as carried 5–0), including a recommendation to accept Menard High School’s graduating class of 2025 and multiple personnel and purchasing items. Trustees requested that links to the student code of conduct be included in all handbooks and that staff ensure consistency across elementary, middle and high school versions.

A motion to strike the humor language and the final adoption of the handbooks were both recorded by roll call as carrying 5–0. Trustees asked staff to return corrected handbook language and any recommended legal edits before the handbooks are published for parents.