CA Gov. Jerry Brown to California Schools: No More 'Redskins'

California Gov. Jerry Brown approved a bill Sunday that prohibits public schools from using ”Redskins” as their nickname, saying the term is racially derogatory and discriminatory toward Native Americans.

The state is the first in the nation to take such a measure against the name, which has become a topic of national debate mostly centered around the NFL’s Washington Redskins.

The law will affect four high schools in Merced, Calaveras, Tulare and Madera counties, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The schools have until Jan. 1, 2017, to comply with the measure.

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Oneida Indian Nation and Change the Mascot representatives took aim at the NFL’s Redskins in a joint statement praising the new law.

“This landmark legislation eliminating the R-word in California schools clearly demonstrates that this issue is not going away, and that opposition to the Washington team on this issue is only intensifying,” the statement said. “The NFL should act immediately to press the team to change the name.”

Image: Chowchilla High School Redskins, via YouTube