Wantagh Board Of Ed Files Suit To 'Successfully Rebrand' Warrior Name

WANTAGH, NY — The Wantagh School District has filed a lawsuit against the state to maintain its "Warriors" nickname, Newsday reported.

It is in response to the state's Native American ban announced in April for team mascots and logos.

A joint suit, filed Friday in Central Islip with the Wyandanch School District, said they "plan to change their respective mascots and/or logos to remove any Native American-associated imagery," but they want to keep the name.

"We fully believe that we can undergo a successful rebrand of the 'Warrior' nickname and will continue to stand with our community in an effort to maintain that identity," the Wantagh Board of Education said in a statement.

In a July survey, a majority of the 962 respondents from the community (55%) said the district should maintain the current imagery and "Warriors" name, while 34% say the district should remove the imagery but keep the "Warriors."

State rules call for public schools to remove team names by June and drop all references to Native American names and imagery on school property by June 2025, Newsday said.

However, Wantagh said the New York State Education Department "granted at least one district the opportunity to continue its use of the 'Warrior' nickname and we are simply asking for equal consideration and opportunity."

The Chenango Valley School District, which is just north and east of Binghamton, announced in April that it will keep its "Warriors" name because of its European roots.

"The feedback from the Education Department clarified that because Chenango Valley’s nickname of the 'Warriors' is not and has not been connected with Indigenous Nations or peoples in accordance with the state’s regulations, our district can continue to use this nickname," WBNG reported.

Last month, the Massapequa School District filed a suit to keep its "Chiefs" name and imagery.