Trump Admin Challenging New York’s Ban of Native American-Themed School Mascots

US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Massapequa High School and addressed the issues stemming from the ban of Native American-themed mascot names in the state of New York. 

The Washington Post reports that Massapequa “has fought to keep its mascot, depicted as a Native American man in a feathered headdress,” amid backlash from the New York State Education Department (SED).

In an effort to “ensure that district mascots, team names, and logos are non-discriminatory,” the SED banned schools from using “Native American Mascots” in 2022. Massapequa sued the SED in 2023, claiming its mascot name (Chiefs) “is meant to honor the area’s Native American roots.”

“The Trump Administration will not stand idly by as state leaders attempt to eliminate the history and culture of Native American tribes,” McMahon exclaimed to the school audience. 

“We will be asking that this request to remove the mascot be taken off the table, we’ll ask for an apology to be issued to Massapequa,” McMahon said. “We’d like to settle this in an amicable fashion but we’re certainly prepared to go deeper if we must.”

The SED ban claims “[a]rguments that community members support the use of such imagery or that it is ‘respectful’ to Native Americans are no longer tenable.” Yet it also implies that schools with Native American mascots can retain them so long as they are approved by the respective tribe:

“Those school districts that continue to utilize Native American team names, logos, and/or imagery without current approval from a recognized tribe must immediately come into compliance,” the policy states.

McMahon argues that the SED’s ban violates Title VI of the US Civil Rights Act. If the SED does not rescind its ban, then the Department of Education will bring the matter to the Department of Justice. This could lead to a loss of federal funding for the state. 

Oliver Roberts, an attorney representing the school district, said the ban exclusively and “discriminatorily” targets Native Americans and prevents them “from having representation in schools.”