NY Education Department: Position 'Clear' On Native American Mascots

NEW YORK — State education officials are taking a hard-line stance when it comes to Native American mascots and imagery in schools.

"The department’s position on this is clear," David Frank, an assistant commissioner with the state Department of Education, told Newsday on Friday. "If any team, mascots, logos or names have any connection to indigenous nations or peoples, either at the present time or in the past, they need to change their team name."

That includes Warriors, Chiefs, Braves and Thunderbirds, according to the report, except for schools that use "Warrior" without Native American ties.

Frank's statement comes after the state Board of Regents voted unanimously to ban schools from using Native American mascots, team names and logos Tuesday.

School districts now have to formally commit to abiding by the new rule by the end of this school year, according to Newsday. Schools have until the end of the 2024-25 school year to remove Native American references from uniforms, scoreboards, fields and buildings on school property.

In November, The Associated Press reported that state education officials believed there were about 50 to 60 school districts in New York still using these kinds of mascots.

The vote Tuesday prompted some school districts across the state to issue statements about their plans for Native American imagery.

At Wantagh High School, the school district Board of Education said they planned to keep the "Warrior" nickname.

"At this time, it is not the intent of the district to move away from the 'Warrior' name, but to develop new imagery that will proudly represent our school community and honor our history, the district said. "The process to develop new imagery will include community feedback through surveys and a committee largely led by our secondary students."

And at Massapequa High School, the school's Board of Education and Superintendent William Brennan took a hardline of their own against the state.

"We have heard from many members of our community upset by this decision, and we stand beside you," they wrote in a letter posted on the website earlier this week. "We are Massapequa and we will not sit idly by while an unelected group of officials tries to remove our history. We are in the process of reviewing the decision and investigating all options with legal counsel."

Dr. Ed Fale, superintendent of Amityville School District, told Patch in a statement: "Our athletic teams and our students are the Amityville Warriors. The district has removed any native references from our logo. Years ago, there was imagery of a face with a headdress, which was removed several years ago and replaced by a large capital 'A' for Amityville. The former image may still appear on some random cafeteria tables but these will be repainted."

Fale added they believe that the word 'Warrior' alone would be allowed for continued use, since, he said, it refers to a person who shows "strength, vigor or courage."

"We believe that describes our students," he said.

Officials in Wappingers Falls and Mahopac in the Hudson Valley also reacted to the news of the new rule.

Wappingers Superintendent Dwight Bonk previously told Patch that the district awaited the regulation.

"Once we receive it, the district will be consulting with our attorneys to consider the steps needed to adhere to the directives," he said. "We need to find out exactly what they are requiring."

The Mahopac Board of Education decided in December to only put an 'M' on the artificial turf field being replaced, instead of the M plus arrow and feather the district has used for years since it dropped the headdress imagery of the indigenous people of the Plains.