The Mentor Exempted Village Board of Education voted unanimously to approve an amended School Resource Officer agreement with the Mentor Police Department on July 10, 2025.

The vote followed public comment in which several residents expressed support for SROs and board members described a multi-year effort to find a contract model that fit district needs. Susan Sednick, a resident who addressed the board during the agenda-only public comment period, thanked the board and the Mentor Police Department for negotiating a contract modeled in part on Riverside Schools’ agreement and said the change was “excellent news.”

Board members discussed the history of the proposal, including earlier resistance and later outreach to other districts. Speakers thanked district staff, Mentor Police leadership and others who helped negotiate the agreement; board members also noted the long effort to reach the contract and the participation of retired officers under the new arrangement.

The motion to approve the amended SRO agreement was moved and seconded during the consent/agenda section and the board called the roll. The clerk recorded the motion as carrying 5–0.

Board members and staff said the contract was designed to place retired officers in Mentor schools, citing safety and a model used by other nearby districts. During discussion several trustees thanked city officials and police leadership for cooperation in finalizing terms and for work by staff to identify funding.

The board did not detail operational specifics of SRO duties during the recorded discussion; the public comment period included requests that the agreement and complaint procedures be visible to parents and students. Trustees asked staff to ensure that any complaint or oversight procedures tied to the agreement be communicated in district materials.

The board approved the agreement as part of its regular agenda; implementation details and building-level assignments were not finalized on the record and will be executed by administration and the police department outside of this meeting’s minutes.

Votes at the meeting show the motion carried 5–0.