PHOTO PROVIDED Yard signs showing support for the Red Raider mascot have begun appearing in the Bellefonte community.

BELLEFONTE — The Bellefonte Red Raider controversy is picking up steam ahead of next week’s school board meeting.

On Monday, yard signs began popping up in the Bellefonte community. The yard signs feature the Red Raider logo. Above the logo are the words “SAVE OUR MASCOT.” Below the mascot are the words, “Bellefonte Red Raiders.”

The signs are being printed by Grove Printing in Bellefonte.

“We had a customer contact us about printing the signs,” said Deb Greene, a manager at Grove Printing. “We’ve printed quite a few of them.”

According to Greene, the yard signs are an all-weather design, similar to a campaign sign and come with metal posts to display easily. They cost $15 each, she said.

She couldn’t estimate how many Grove Printing would print because “we are still filling orders.”

The mascot issue came to the forefront at last week’s school board meeting when six Bellefonte residents spoke during public comment portion of the meeting. Three spoke in favor of retaining the nickname Red Raiders, while two spoke in favor of getting rid of it. One speaker did not take a position.

Last week’s meeting was the board’s first in-person meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools and buildings in mid-March. Up until June 16, meetings were being held via Zoom.

The Red Raider nickname became the center of a firestorm on social media after a petition circulated on Change.org a few weeks ago. Organizers of the petition claim the current mascot and logo “promote and reinforce bigotry, racism and harmful stereotypes.”

According to the post on Change.org, the petition said that “the Bellefonte community deserves a new school logo and mascot that is anti-racist, anti-bias, all-inclusive, and honors our great community and its history! Our students deserve better than the ‘Red Raider.'”

Soon after the petition was created, a counter petition was created. It says: “Keeping the Bellefonte mascot as it stands. Red Raiders.”

There’s also a Facebook group entitled, “Keep the Red Raider Mascot.”

Greene said that she realizes that there is some controversy surrounding the mascot.

“It is a hot topic,” she said.

Greene said that Grove Printing has printed many yard signs for members of the Class of 2020 — from Bellefonte and other nearby school districts.

The Red Raider signs, she said, are gaining popularity. She said that Grove Printing has not been contacted to print signs pushing for the removal of the mascot and nickname.

“We have not, but we will print almost anything. That’s our business,” Greene said.

The Bellefonte school board will meet again at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30 at the Bellefonte Area Middle School. Seating is limited, masks are required and those attending will be asked to practice social distancing.

To order a sign or for more information, email groveprinting@aol.com or call (814) 355-2197.