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to seek approval to continue to use the team name and mascot, but thumbed their nose at the state's regulatory process.
President Donald Trump says Massapequa school district should keep its mascot, team name
The state Board of Regents banned the use of Native American mascots, names and logos in 2023. The ban affected 13 school districts on Long Island, including nine that have complied with taking steps to retire their mascots. Districts that did not comply risked losing state aid.
State Department of Education officials said regulations permit districts to keep mascots if they are approved by local tribal leaders, which was not done in Massapequa.
"Massapequa stayed silent during the regulatory process. They did not reach out to Indigenous leaders or engage with the Department’s Mascot Advisory Committee to determine whether its Native American team name and mascot would be permissible," state education spokesman JP O'Hare said in a statement. "It is ironic that the federal government now seeks to intervene on an issue that is squarely reserved to the States."
"If members of the Massapequa board of education are genuinely interested in honoring and respecting Long Island’s Native American past, they should talk to the Indigenous people who remain on Long Island," O'Hare said.
The state Board of Regents banned the use of Native American mascots, names and logos in 2023. The ban affected 13 school districts on Long Island, including nine that have complied with taking steps to retire their mascots. Districts that did not comply risked losing state aid.
State Department of Education officials said regulations permit districts to keep mascots if they are approved by local tribal leaders, which was not done in Massapequa.
"Massapequa stayed silent during the regulatory process. They did not reach out to Indigenous leaders or engage with the Department’s Mascot Advisory Committee to determine whether its Native American team name and mascot would be permissible," state education spokesman JP O'Hare said in a statement. "It is ironic that the federal government now seeks to intervene on an issue that is squarely reserved to the States."
"If members of the Massapequa board of education are genuinely interested in honoring and respecting Long Island’s Native American past, they should talk to the Indigenous people who remain on Long Island," O'Hare said.
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/massapequa-mascot-president-trump-b2gt4fzc
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Chances are that had Massapequa SD sought the approval from local tribal leaders, it would have been granted. The town's name is an Algonquin word and the name of the team (Chiefs) and the mascot itself are not overtly objectionable.
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