No, this Nevada high school didn’t issue a ‘masturbation notice’ to students

It’s a new year, but an old prank is still fooling some social media users — this time in Nevada. 

“This went out to students at McQueen high today,” a Jan. 6 Facebook post said.

It featured a purported “masturbation notice” addressed to “McQueen high school students and staff.” 

We’ll spare readers most of the details, but the notice warns against masturbating on school property, noting that such behavior has cost “thousands of dollars” because of damage to the school’s bathroom pipes.

“Always remember your Lancer P.R.I.D.E.,” the notice ends. “P: Please, R: Remember, I: It’s, D: Disrespectful to, E: Engage in this behavior here.” 

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

McQueen High School, home of the Lancers in Reno, Nevada, isn’t behind this notice. 

The school is part of the Washoe County School District and Victoria Campbell, a district spokesperson, told PolitiFact the notice is a “prank” and “fake.” 

“It was not issued by the school or any school in our district,” Campbell said.

Similar notices have circulated for more than a decade. In 2014, HuffPost shared images of 25 letters warning college students not to masturbate in dormitory showers. Reuters fact-checked one such letter that spread on social media in 2022.

That was fake, and so is this. 

We rate claims McQueen High School in Nevada issued this notice to students False.