On Friday evening, as the MHS Black Student Union was holding an important panel on the Black experience in Mason, a hateful zoom-bombing event occurred which included the use of profanity, gory video images, and the N-word. BSU leaders ended the session quickly, and shared a new link with participants. Hate speech and images will not be tolerated as they are attacks on the core beliefs of our Comet Culture. 

Following the incident, we immediately began an investigation into what appeared to be a coordinated attack from at least three intruders. Working with the Southwest Ohio Computer Association, we scoured the meeting log files and cross-checked other resource log files. The IP addresses of unknown participants (likely the Zoombombers) were from other parts of the country, and included several international addresses. 

Our heart breaks that an important forum intended as a safe space for members of our Black community to share their experiences was compromised. Moving forward, all school-sponsored virtual events will require an online registration in order to try to prevent something like this from happening in the future.

We support our Black Student Union students, and we speak out against acts of violence and racism. All of our students deserve to feel valued, seen, and heard. 

Acts of racism, sexism, ableism, classism, homophobia, religious intolerance, and other forms of harassment hurt our Comet Culture and have no place in our schools. Working together to challenge bias and respond is a crucial step toward creating a safe learning community for every Comet. 

Caring for Our Comets
Witnessing an act of bias is emotionally disturbing. Members of the Black Student Union were connected with support to process Friday night’s hateful zoom bombing attack. If you or someone you know needs support, please reach out to your school counselor or a member of our Prevention & Wellness Team. You are also encouraged to use SafeSchools to anonymously report safety concerns and acts of bias.