Native American mascots banned

Continued from Page 1 within a reasonable time, which shall be by no later than the end of the 2024-25 school year,” according to officials.

In December Sewanhaka Superintendent James Grossane said the district was also awaiting more guidance from the state before making any decisions on how to move forward from the “Indians” name.

A Sewanhaka High School student dressed as an Indian, the school’s mascot, at their 2017 homecoming parade.(Photo courtesy of the Sewanhaka Central High School District) Manhasset officials did not go into specifics on what would be done with the district’s “Indians” mascot, but members of the board presented questions to Superintendent Gaurav Passi and board President Pat Aitken on what the requirements would mean for Manhasset.

The history of Manhasset’s “Indian” mascot is traced back to the Matinecock Indian Tribe, a group that occupied a majority of the Town of North Hempstead.

The Matinecocks were forcibly removed from the territory, with Manhasset keeping the “Indian” mascot name along with having an orange feather attached to the “M” in their logo and calling their newspaper “Indian Ink.”

Trustee Erin Royce, during a February meeting, questioned what the district’s legal responsibility would be if down the line, someone attended a district event with attire dawning the “Indian” mascot.

She asked what specifically that plan would entail, whether it be a strict deadline to have community input on new mascot names or to have a deadline to have those types of conversations.

“That’s where I just feel like specifics need to be hammered out,” she said.

Passi, without providing specific costs, said the school district would have to pay for uni- form replacements, scoreboard modifications and changes to the wrestling mats, gym floors, signage, wall padding, banners and outdoor windscreens.

More than 30 members of the Manhasset High School’s Class of 2021, including student government representatives and varsity athletic team captains, co-signed an email last year that accused the Board of Education of making a change to the mascot without informing the rest of the public.

“Rumors of a new image circulate throughout the school, but also clear changes have been made around the building,” the email said. “We urge the school board and administration to immediately stop proceeding with the backdoor termination of our Indian image and rather speak with the proud Manhasset community before any changes are made.”

The group of students claimed that the Manhasset students metaphorically wore the