Lyndsie Wall

09/06/2025

Hey friends, serious question. Do you know what’s on your ballot in November? Do you understand what you will be voting for?
Mentor friends, this year, you need to know that you get to choose 3 people for the Mentor School Board. 6 candidates are on the ballot in the Mentor district… you vote for 3. The 3 candidates with the most votes will win.

Mentor City Council is a bit different though. Did you know that? Each candidate is running for a specific seat. This year, we get to vote on the 3 “At-Large” seats. You vote for one candidate, for each seat.

Please be an educated voter. Know before you go to vote. If you don’t know and you have questions, there are so many ways to learn or get answers. Election Day may not be until November 4th, but that means you have no excuse to show up at the polls undecided or confused. Start looking at what will be on your ballot, see who all is running and learn about them.

Also, double check your voter registration! Make sure you are registered to vote and that your info is up to date. If you have questions, feel free to ask. Or check out https://www.lakecountyohio.gov/boe/ which has sample ballots and lots of information about your local election!

09/03/2025

Did you know that 35.3% of Mentor students are economically disadvantaged? This creates barriers for students, like decreased attendance when students don't have the basic items they need to feel confident at school. Help us stock our Family Resource Center that is opening soon.

09/02/2025

I have been out in the community over the past few weeks and have fielded a lot of questions about book banning.
Did you know that Mentor schools have a parental notification system in place that allows a parent to choose whether or not to restrict their child’s access to any book that the parents deem inappropriate? This notification system can be opted out of if the parent does not want to restrict access for their child. I see this as a great compromise that protects the rights of all parents. School board members should not attempt to make decisions on which books are available to your children - it is an infringement on your parental rights.

08/31/2025

We have some questions that we would like Team ISO for Mentor School Board to answer at their meet and greet event. Specifically:

1. Linda O'Brien for Mentor School Board has publicly stated that she is a "proud Christian Nationalist". Do you consider yourselves Christian nationalists, and do you think the schools should be governed in alignment with that ideology?

2. Linda O'Brien for Mentor School Board once stated that being the parent of a gay child is like being the parent of a child with a drug addiction. Do you agree, and if so, what does that mean for how you will treat LGBTQ students and families in the district?

3. Linda O'Brien for Mentor School Board once stated at a school board meeting that she didn't think students should read books about the experiences of black children during segregation in the 1960s because it is "negative" and "doesn't happen anymore". Do you agree that students should not have access to books that describe these experiences?

4. Rose Ioppolo, Mentor Board of Education andAnnie Payne- Mentor School Board Member & Candidate for Mentor City Council, who have endorsed your campaign, voted against pay increases for teachers and staff. The contract was negotiated in good faith with the board. District CFO Bill Wade confirmed that the contract would save significant dollars for Mentor taxpayers. Would you have also voted to deny raises to district staff?

5. Robert Izzo For Mentor School Board appears in a campaign video for Scott Fishel, the Riverside school board president whose term has been marked by a disregard for the community's feedback on a building expansion plan, and who has used district funds to hire outside consultants with whom he has political connections. Is that how you envision the Mentor School Board being run if you win?

6. The Mentor School District has a policy on library materials that gives complete control to parents to determine what books their own child can access. Do you agree with Rose and Annie that the board should make decisions about books instead of parents?

08/29/2025

08/23/2025

While Robert and our volunteers are out and about spreading literature and love on the streets of Mentor today you can help amplify the word here in our virtual neighborhood. Like and share this post to invite other engaged citizens who want to expand sanity and decorum within the Mentor school board. One lucky post sharer will receive a bag of common grounds fresh roasted coffee beans. Remember like and share - let’s boost Robert’s followers to over 400 this weekend. We’ll draw for the coffee Wednesday at noon from all who like this post - we’re going to trust that all who like also share. May we count on you?

08/18/2025

Sweet dreams, Cardinals!

08/14/2025

A roundup of Florida education news from around the state

08/14/2025

In a major win for intellectual freedom, a judge rules against Florida law that led to removing hundreds of books from school libraries.

08/04/2025

I am SO pleased to share the latest update on our anti-bullying and discipline committee work—an initiative I suggested earlier this year to directly confront the behavioral issues we've seen over the last few years.

The board met Saturday morning to hear Superintendent Heath's recommendations for moving forward, which are as follows:

1. Create / Revise student discipline matrices for each grade band in the district as a guide to consequences for student behavior.

2. Create a simple reporting system for students to share a mean behavior issue that is taking place—this includes studying the potential of an anonymous reporting system.

3. Create / Identify resources to educate students and parents on the concerns of social media and its relationship to bullying / mean behavior. This will involve increased engagement with parents and families via communications and events.

4. Identify additional resources, activities, assemblies, and programs that support the PBIS and kindness initiatives in each of our buildings.

5. Conduct proactive parent meetings with those students who have exhibited the highest numbers of mean behaviors at each building. Individual follow-up, mentoring, and support will be offered to these students.

6. Coordinate the transition of important student behavior concerns, plans, and no-contact agreements between buildings. We must ensure the best possible enforcement of no-contact agreements when they are in place.

7. Create Student Advisory groups at both middle schools and at the elementary level to continue conversations about bullying / mean behavior.

8. Create an alternative placement program for student discipline to be used as part of the consequences for mean behaviors that incorporates academic, behavioral, and mental health supports.

Some of these recommendations are already being implemented, while others are long-term goals. And while I was the first to recommend this committee be formed, most of the work was done by Mr. Heath and his leadership team, who held 50+ meetings with students, staff, parents, and board members to truly and accurately assess our challenges.

The result? A plan of action that is based on data, stakeholder input, and best practices for K-12 education.

Learn the details behind these recommendations below: 👇👇👇
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm9bZt3ZcQQ

08/02/2025

I attended this morning’s special meeting, and I have to say, I am truly impressed with the time and effort that has finally been put toward addressing bullying and mean behavior in our schools. Mr. Heath presented a list of carefully considered future plans, developed not only from data but also from the input of our students, staff, and parents.

As Mr. Heath noted this morning, discipline is truly unique! So is every student. I am both grateful and hopeful that these plans will move our district in the right direction when it comes to combating bullying and unkind behavior, something I have been hoping for since I was a student myself.

Just be KIND.

Here’s a bullet point breakdown of today’s special board meeting on school discipline as presented by Superintendent Heath:

1. Revise Discipline Matrices
• Administrators at Memorial, Shore, and Mentor High reviewed and aligned discipline matrices and EMIS codes in summer 2024.
• Additional revisions and reviews of bullying-related expectations will be conducted in August 2025.

2. Improve Reporting Systems
• The Safer Ohio School Tip Hotline will be emphasized and repositioned on the district website.
• PTA Presidents will be briefed in September 2025.
• Exploration of an additional anonymous reporting system is underway.

3. Social Media Education
• A team will identify and present updated resources for students and parents on the role of social media in bullying.
• Separate communication plans will be developed for parents and students.

4. Expand PBIS & Kindness Initiatives
• A current list of building-level kindness initiatives will be compiled.
• Collaboration with Kindland and PTA leaders to implement new activities during 2025–26.

5. Targeted Parent Meetings
• Students with the highest number of mean behavior incidents will be identified.
• Proactive meetings with families and ongoing mentorship by admin staff will be implemented.

6. Transition Planning for Behavior Concerns
• Behavior plans and no contact agreements will be transferred between buildings to support students entering new schools in 2025–26 and 2026–27.

7. Student Advisory Committees
• Superintendent’s advisory groups will be created at middle and elementary levels to discuss bullying and school climate.

8. Alternative Placement Program
• Research, budgeting, and feasibility studies will be conducted to create a discipline alternative that includes academic and mental health supports.

9. Monitoring and Evaluation
• Data points will be identified and reviewed biannually to assess the effectiveness of these initiatives.
• Results will be reflected in the district’s Framework for the Future Scorecard.

07/30/2025

Ok, so this is too cool - showing your Cardinal Pride right on your driveway. For a $25 donation to the Mentor High School Art Club, you can get one, too! Check out the comments for a copy of the form to order one for your home.