The Department of Education launched an investigation Friday into New York state’s own Education Department and its Board of Regents for threatening to pull funding from a Long Island high school that refused to change its Native American mascot.
The Massapequa High School “Chiefs” mascot, an illustration of a Native American man wearing a feathered headdress, has been used for decades, but a push to change it has caused division.
In 2023, the New York State Board of Regents voted to ban Native American mascots, logos and imagery in public schools. The ban will take effect at the end of June. The state Education Department said they “were compelled to act because certain Native American names and images have been shown to perpetuate negative stereotypes that are demonstrably harmful to children.”
The Massapequa school district tried to fight the ban and lost in state and federal court, arguing it would end the school’s identity and cost $1 million in rebranding. They then appealed directly to President Donald Trump over social media, and he decided to get involved.
In a Truth Social post, Trump called the effort to force a change “ridiculous” and “an affront to our great Indian population.”
