The New York State Board of Regents voted Tuesday that Native American-themed logos and mascots must be retired by 2025 unless schools get approval from a recognized Native American tribe to keep them.
Schools that don’t comply risk losing their state funding.
Jamestown Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said this was a formal adoption of the State Department of Education‘s proposed regulation regarding nicknames and mascots, “So, while before, over the course of the last few months, it was a proposed regulation, and it was open to public comment, public comment closed a short time ago and the Board of Regents met yesterday and they voted unanimously to approve that into regulation.”
The order does not require public schools, school buildings, or school districts named after an Indigenous tribe to change those names.
An exemption to the order is included for federally- or state-recognized tribes to use the banned names, mascots and logos for sports teams comprised of their tribal members. Public schools will also be allowed to continue the use of the names, mascots and logos if an agreement exists in writing between the tribal nation and the school prior to the effective date of the ban, according to the state.
WIVB reports Seneca Nation of Indians President Rickey Armstrong, Sr. issued a statement Tuesday that said, “Respect for Native people and our history should always be the expectation, not the exception. We believe the State’s provision for agreements between school districts and Native Nations should be rare and limited, rather than an open invitation for districts to go ‘approval shopping’ among Native Nations. The Seneca Nation will carefully consider how that standard may potentially apply within our community.”
The decision by the state board of regents goes into effect on May 3.
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