MENTOR, Ohio — Mentor High School will be closed on Friday after rumors of threats of potential violence.
Mentor police said there is no credible threat but the school is making the decision in the interest of safety because the investigation is not complete.
The district said they will have extra police presence at other schools on Friday as a precaution.
School officials said they are evaluating whether or not Mentor's football game against Solon will be played.
The school closure comes after a 17-year-old girl was attacked by another 17-year-old girl at the school on Thursday.
The student who attacked the other student was taken into custody and later released to her mother.
Police said the charges against her will be filed in Lake County Juvenile Court.
Mentor police said the 17-year-old girl that was injured was transported to Lake West Hospital where she was treated and released. On Friday night,
RELATED: 17-year-old girl arrested after attack at Mentor High School
On Friday night, Mentor School Superintendent Bill Porter released this statement and video message to families and the press:
I wanted a chance this afternoon to give an update on some of the events from our high school this past week that ultimately led to the closure of Mentor High School today.
First, I am outraged by the brutal attack against one of our students by another student on Thursday. This egregious action will be dealt with in the most severe way possible, and others who assisted, encouraged, or had knowledge are also being held accountable. Besides the injuries the young victim sustained, I am also sad to think about how this affects the overwhelming majority of our students who represent us every day with exceptional work ethic, character, behavior, and respect for each other.
The attack, the resulting news coverage, the rumored threats, and the closure of school is an unjust burden that our students and staff must bear for the horrific actions of a few individuals. But like we do during tough times in Mentor, we rally. I challenge our students, with help from our staff and parents, to stand together again to make sure our school represents the best of who we are. The events of this past week will not define us.
Our work this week has been greatly assisted by the Mentor and Mentor-on-the-Lake Police Departments, who are always there for us. I am thankful for their tireless work to follow up on dozens of leads related to the rumored threats against Mentor High. After much careful investigation, they confirm that there is still no credibility to the rumors and threats. With support from the Mentor Police, classes will resume on Monday at Mentor High School and extracurricular activities planned for this weekend can go on as scheduled.
We will have extra police and administrators on hand throughout the day Monday, and for the days beyond, to provide extra peace of mind for students, staff, and parents. Safety will continue to be our number one priority - and we are adding additional security measures at Mentor High School right away. In addition, we recognize some students will struggle emotionally, so we will have extra supports from the Lake County Trauma Response Team available for students. Finally, we will have a chance to speak with students directly in grade level meetings at the beginning of the week.
One positive about this was the tremendous response from students, parents, and our own staff to share information with us or with the police if they were seeing or hearing something that wasn’t right. Our See Something- Say Something philosophy worked exactly like it should have.
I want to thank you for your continued support of Mentor Schools. Have a good evening.
