State Denies Request To Extend Deadline For Native American Mascot Ban In Massapequa

MASSAPEQUA, NY — A legal challenge by the Massapequa School District to extend the mascot ban deadline has been denied by the state.

The State Department of Education in a letter on Friday to Superintendent William Brennan, and obtained by Patch, said the district did not show good cause for the extension.

The Massapequa School District has been part of a statewide ban of Native American mascots and nicknames. President Trump has weighed in on social media about wanting their "Chiefs" to remain. Last month Trump's Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Massapequa High School, saying in part that it was "not a First Amendment case. This is Title VI Civil Rights case."

In March, the district had a lawsuit dismissed.

"The district's extension request reveals that nothing whatsoever has been done to eliminate the use of its "Chiefs" name, logo or mascot," the June 20th letter to Brennan said. "Indeed, at times, the district has suggested that it has no intention of complying with these regulations."

The Massapequa Board of Education said in a statement on Friday: "This decision by the State Education Department does nothing to change the underlying reality: Governor Kathy Hochul’s ban on Native American names and imagery is blatantly discriminatory and a clear violation of civil rights. We remain confident that we will prevail in federal court and see this unconstitutional regulation struck down.”

When the ban was initially announced in 2023, Massapequa school officials voted to comply while they worked on the legal aspect of maintaining the "Chief" name and mascot.