Manhasset say more info needed on mascot use

Continued from Page 4 would be done with the district’s “Indians” mascot, but members of the board presented questions to Passi and board President Pat Aitken on what the requirements would mean for Manhasset.

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

The resolution Manhasset would have to adopt under the proposed regulation requires them to “identify a plan to eliminate all use of the prohibited name, work, or mascot within a reasonable time, which shall be by no later than the end of the 2024-25 school year,” according to offcials.

Royce questioned what specifcally 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 specifcs need to be hammered out,” she said.

Trustee Jill Pulano echoed Royce’s call to seek guidance from legal counsel on what the exact defnitions under the proposed regulations would be.

“Once we have that, pending the actual approval of the legislation, we can work on sort of a plan as to what we think might be a way to approach it and come up with some diferent milestones that we will have to hit.

Passi, without providing specifc costs, said the school district would have to pay for uniform replacements, scoreboard modifcations and changes to the wrestling mats, gym foors, signage, wall padding, banners and outdoor windscreens. Royce touted the importance of the student body when talking about these proposed regulations.

“There’s a lot of community members who are very invested in this, but I also feel that a lot of the responsibility about formulating how we go about this process rests in the student body,” she said.

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 “Indian” name with pride and passion.

“Manhasset students represent this culture with the utmost respect,” the letter said. “Not once at any school or community event have we witnessed the Indian name be tarnished or demeaned in any way, rather, we watch as students and community members proudly boast the name, chanting ‘We are the Indians’ for anyone in the nearby vicinity to hear.”

In a statement responding to the student’s letter, the Manhasset Justice Initiative, an online organization comprised of current and former Manhasset school students, claimed there was a disconnect on how to appropriately honor native tribes and communities to the area.

“By claiming “We are the Indians,” we are claiming that we have the shared experience of the hardship the native communities faced and paying homage to a caricature that doesn’t accurately represent them,” the initiative said in a statement last year. “When the Native Americans said “do not forget us,” it wasn’t to keep the mascot but make sure that their cultures are depicted accurately and respectfully with educational components accompanying any decision the school makes.”

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.”