Schools in upstate New York must stop using Native American references in mascots, team names and logos by the end of the current school year or face penalties, including forfeiture of state aid, the state Department of Education said.
“Public school districts are prohibited from using Native American mascots. Arguments that community members support the use of such images or that they are “respectful” of Native Americans are no longer tenable,” the department said in the memo released Thursday.
School districts that refuse to select less offensive athletic avatars could face “removal of school officials and withholding of state aid,” the letter said.
“Students learn just as much from observing their surroundings as they do from direct instruction,” added the memo, authored by James N. Baldwin, the senior deputy commissioner.
High schools in upstate New York may no longer use Native American mascots, like the one pictured above, until the end of the school year. You run the risk of losing government funding in 2023
In June 2022, a verdict was issued against the Cambridge Central School District in upstate New York, which had hoped to stick with its “Native American” mascot
“Students learn just as much from observing their surroundings as they do from direct instruction,” James N. Baldwin wrote in a memo depicting the senior deputy commissioner of the New York State Department of Education
“Educational authorities that continue to use Native American mascots need to think about the message their choice conveys to students, parents and their communities.”
The memo referenced a state court’s June decision in favor of the department over the Cambridge Central School District north of Albany, New York, which decided last year to stop using a Native American reference in its team name, only to reverse itself weeks later.
The state Department of Education, which in 2001 issued a directive for schools to stop using Native American imagery as soon as possible, ordered the district to stand by its original decision.
New York City began removing controversial names like “Indians” and “Chiefs” as soon as the original policy was issued.
That latest memo states that districts that do not have authorization from a recognized tribe to continue using the images “must comply immediately.”
Cambridge Central filed a lawsuit challenging the order, which a court dismissed. The school district has announced that it will appeal.
Native American activists at every level of the sport, from schools to professional leagues, have spoken out on this issue for years and have seen some teams make changes while others have proven resilient
Native American activists at every level of the sport, from schools to professional leagues, have spoken out on this issue for years and have seen some teams make changes while others have proven resilient.
In a 2013 report, the Tribal Nations of New York spoke out against stereotypical depictions used as sports mascots for public schools.
“Widespread images of Native American stereotypes in commercial and educational settings slander, defame, and defame Native people, Native American cultures, and tribal nations, and perpetuate a legacy of racist and biased attitudes,” according to a 2013 report by the National Congress of American Indians .
“In particular, the ‘savage’ and ‘clown’ caricatures used by sports teams with ‘Native American’ mascots contribute to the ‘savage’ image of Native Americans and the myth that Native Americans are an ethnic group ‘frozen in history ‘is,’ the report explained.
Districts that do not have permission from a recognized tribe to continue using the images “must immediately comply with the regulations.”
The NCAI considers the mascots to be harmful stereotypes and disrespectful to native peoples.
It maintains a database of K-12 schools that purportedly have Native American-style mascots and puts the number at just over 1,900 schools nationwide in 970 school districts, including more than 100 schools in New York.
A report by the National Congress of American Indians notes how schools across the state have abandoned them in recent years.
The state Department of Education said it is studying the issue and believes about 133 schools in 50 to 60 school districts across New York still use Native-themed mascots.
Indigenous names have also been an issue in other areas of daily life, including sports, which saw baseball’s Cleveland Guardians transition from the Cleveland Indians and the NFL’s Washington Commanders, formerly the Washington Redskins.
Indigenous names have also been an issue in other areas of daily life, including sports, with baseball’s Cleveland Guardians transitioning from the Cleveland Indians
In 2020, the NFL’s Washington Commanders changed their name from the Washington Redskins