Long Island Schools Seek Federal Support for Native American Team Name

On Monday, Long Island schools and the Trump administration requested to join an ongoing dispute concerning the preservation of a Native American team name.

Officials from the Massapequa School District reached out to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, urging the federal government to step in amid legal challenges against the Chiefs’ name and logo, which face a ban from New York state targeting Native American imagery.

In a 10-page letter, district lawyer Oliver Roberts pointed out, “In Massapequa, there are three things that are certain: death, taxes, and ‘Once a chief, always a chief’.”

The district is under a deadline to amend its complaints by May 12 in the ongoing lawsuit against the state, risking potential rebranding by the end of June if they do not comply, or facing the loss of state funding.

“While many school districts have yielded to what we believe is an unconstitutional attack on state history and traditions, Massapequa has chosen to stand firm,” the letter continued. “This situation goes beyond local concerns; Massapequa represents a battleground for preserving our national history and values. Without immediate intervention before these critical deadlines, the harm to educational institutions and cultural traditions will be irreversible.”

President Trump has publicly declared his support for retaining the Chiefs name, pledging to direct the education department to get involved, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.

The school insists that the name Chiefs honors the region’s Indigenous heritage, while some lawsuit authorities argue that the New York ban and its select exemptions violate the state’s Title VI, which protects certain team names like the Fighting Irish and the Vikings.

Massapequa has fought the ban within the 2023 state legislative committee for two years, achieving minimal success thus far. A judge ruled against the district in March, but the school’s position gained traction following Trump’s opposition to the social media restrictions.

In a statement on social media, Trump called the notion of changing the name “ridiculous,” calling it a humiliation to the Indigenous population, and urged McMahon to defend the town’s mascot.

However, a spokesman for the New York State Department of Education, JP O’Hare, noted that the Measures Committee implemented this policy, as certain Native American names and images have been found to propagate negative stereotypes.

“Dismissing an entire demographic of individuals is unacceptable in any context, particularly in schools that should be inclusive and supportive for all students,” O’Hare stated.

He further clarified that schools may use Native American names and images with approval from tribal leaders and criticized Massapequa’s education officials for not engaging with Indigenous leaders and the Mascot Advisory Committee prior to legal action.

Still, Trump asserted that “almost everyone in the area” is calling for the preservation of the names.

As of now, a representative from the federal education department has not responded to requests for comment.