A Long Island school district that dropped its “Thunderbirds” nickname to comply with New York’s Indian mascot ban is facing pressure to reverse its decision from the Trump administration.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said its investigation opened in July found that the Connetquot Central School District violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by changing Connetquot High School’s team name from the “Thunderbirds” to the “T-Birds.”
“OCR concluded that by abandoning its Native American name to comply with a discriminatory rule, the District engaged in race- and national-origin-based discrimination in violation of Title VI,” the department said Thursday.
The district dropped “Thunderbirds,” a reference to Indian mythology, under pressure from the New York State Board of Regents, which adopted a policy in 2023 “prohibiting the use of Indigenous team names, mascots and logos by public schools.”
Connetquot Central was one of several districts that sued to block the policy in 2024, but the board of education threw in the towel in September, voting to accept the state’s settlement offer allowing the high school to use the “T-Birds” mascot, name and imagery.
What the Trump administration signaled in its latest announcement is that school districts won’t be given a pass for following the state mandate.
“Today, we found Connetquot Central School District in violation of Title VI for erasing its Native American heritage to comply with a discriminatory New York state regulation,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a Thursday statement.
The department said the district may resolve the violation by entering into a proposed resolution agreement to “reverse its discriminatory erasure of Native American imagery by readopting the name ’Thunderbirds’ for its sports teams and all associated logos and mascots.”
“We will not allow ideologues to decide that some mascots based on national origin are acceptable while others are banned,” Ms. Richey said. “Equal treatment under the law is non-negotiable. We expect the District to do the right thing and comply with our resolution agreement to voluntarily resolve its civil rights violation and restore the Thunderbirds’ rightful name.”
The department said New York’s mascot ban discriminates based on race by barring Native American nicknames while allowing those that refer to other ethnic groups, including “Dutchmen” and “Huguenots.”
A Connetquot Central spokesperson said the district is reviewing the department’s report.
Connetquot Central School District on Long Island violated civil rights law by renaming the ‘Thunderbirds’ mascot solely because of its Native American roots.
The Trump Admin will not stand by while history is erased.
— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) January 22, 2026
The department previously determined that the mascot ban adopted by the New York State Education Department and Board of Regents violates Title VI, which bans discrimination based on race, color and national origin in schools receiving federal funding.
Still fighting the New York regulation is the Native American Guardians Association, which said last week that it has filed a notice of appeal after a district court in November dismissed its challenge to the state policy for lack of standing.
Chap Petersen, the association’s attorney, said he expects the case to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Today, we take the next step in our journey to the United States Supreme Court, which is the only logical finish line,” Mr. Petersen said in a Jan. 14 statement. “The ’Native Name Ban’ laws are both offensive and plainly unconstitutional. Their very existence is an embarrassment to all Americans, as well as the Native community.”
The association is joined by the Massapequa Union Free School District, which has fought to keep its “Chiefs” nickname and imagery.
Those opposed to the Indian mascots include New York’s Oneida Indian Nation and the National Congress of American Indians, which argues that such names and symbols perpetuate “harmful” stereotypes.
