Education Secretary Linda McMahon has initiated an inquiry into the New York State Department of Education (NYSED) and state boards after they declined to discontinue the use of Native American mascots and posed a threat to withhold funding from the Massapequa School District.
Earlier this week, President Trump voiced strong support for his school district.
“After all these years, changing their names is absurd and actually an insult to our esteemed Native population. It calls for the Board of Education, and nearly everyone in the area to safeguard their names,” the president stated regarding the district’s high school known as the chief of Massapekua in a post on Truth Social.
The Native American Guardian Association (NAGA) has lodged a complaint with the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Office, alleging violations of federal civil rights laws by the NYSED.
“The U.S. Department of Education does not endorse New York in its attempts to rewrite history and deny Massapequa’s right to honor its heritage in schools,” McMahon remarked in a statement regarding the situation.
“New York opts to emphasize Native American erasure, rich history, and profound ties to the nation, while schools need time and resources to focus on what truly matters.”
McMahon asserted that some mascots refer to indigenous or ethnic groups, noting examples such as the Minnesota Vikings and Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, but New York emphasized that the matter will be “thoroughly” investigated.
Trump also questioned the decision, citing the popularity of the Kansas City Chiefs in a post on Truth Social on Monday.
“It’s become the school’s identity, and what’s wrong with using the name ‘Chief’?” he questioned. “I haven’t noticed the Kansas City Chiefs changing their name anytime soon!”
A spokesperson for the state’s education department informed Hill that they have not received any formal federal communications regarding the matter.
“However, the U.S. Department of Education’s endeavor to counteract state laws concerning school district mascots contradicts Secretary McMahon’s statement from March 20, 2025,” he stated.
“Masapequa has already filed and lost a lawsuit on this issue. We have advised the Masapequa School community to engage with local Indigenous representatives who have comments on this subject,” he added.
In 2023, state officials issued an order mandating school districts to eliminate mascots that may be deemed inappropriate concerning Native American cultures, or risk losing state funding.
A state judge dismissed a district judge’s litigation challenging the order last month. The New York Post reported that the school board subsequently requested intervention from the Trump administration.
“We are not symbols, not history. They don’t exist today. For Native children, seeing those mascots is painful. Unless you’ve grown up in a Native community, you may not fully grasp that,” said former Cinecock Tribe councilor Gelman Smith in a statement addressing the issue.
In 1644, the Massapequa massacre was conducted by Governor Willem Keefe, who allocated 25,000 guilders to eliminate Native Americans from the land that now comprises the town.
“It is ironic that towns with histories of murdering local Indigenous people should now claim false representations of those same individuals as tradition,” commented Harry Wallace, chief of the Kechag Indian Nation, in a statement regarding the discussion.
Kelly Watcher, president of the Massapequa School Board, expressed that the state’s initiatives to challenge the mission and remove the mascot were not “pre-learning.” She extended her gratitude to the Trump administration for investigating the matter.
