A federal investigation found that the New York Board of Regents violated federal civil rights law by banning the use of Native American mascots and logos, a decision that threatens to upend the decades-long movement to eradicate American Indian imagery in school sports.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said the anti-mascot policy runs afoul of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in education based on race, color or national origin.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced the findings during a visit Friday to Massapequa High School, which has fought the state’s 2023 policy requiring schools to replace their Native American mascots by June 30. Massapequa’s nickname is the “Chiefs.”
“The Trump administration will not stand idly by as state leaders attempt to eliminate the history and culture of Native American tribes,” Ms. McMahon said in a statement. “Rather than focus on learning outcomes, the New York Department of Education and Board of Regents has set its sights on erasing Massapequa’s history — while turning a blind eye to other districts’ mascots that are derived from or connected to other racial or ethnic groups.”
She referred to nicknames, mascots and logos such as “Dutchmen” and the “Huguenots,” which refer to European ethnicities.
The department opened an investigation in April in response to a complaint filed against the state policy by the Native American Guardian Association.
Under a proposed Resolution Agreement issued by the Office for Civil Rights, the New York Department of Education and the board of regents would agree to “voluntarily resolve the Title VI violations detailed in the noncompliance finding within 10 days or risk possible referral to the U.S. Department of Justice for enforcement proceedings and potential loss of federal funding.”
The proposal’s requirements include rescinding the anti-mascot regulation; informing schools that they may adopt Native American names, mascots and logos consistent with Title VI, and issuing an apology to Indigenous tribes for seeking to “erase Native American history.”
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman praised Ms. McMahon, saying county officials were “delighted to welcome her to Nassau County today and grateful for her leadership in uplifting the rich culture and history of Massapequa.”
The Massapequa Board of Education had sued to keep its logo and mascot, but a federal judge dismissed the district’s claim in March.
The department’s decision has implications that stretch beyond New York. In 2006, the NCAA implemented a ban on “hostile or abusive mascots, nicknames and imagery” that forced the elimination of popular nicknames such as the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux.
