School districts across the state of New York are prohibited from using any Native American mascots, team names or logos. And the state’s education department is now urging its school comply by the end of the school year — or risk losing state aid.
The prohibition isn’t new: The state’s former commissioner of education issued a memorandum ending the practice more than two decades ago. And while some school districts retired their mascots almost immediately, others still aren’t in compliance today. On Thursday, the education department’s senior deputy commissioner sent out a memo to all school districts in the state demanding all school districts take action before the end of the 2022-2023 school year.
