Connetquot School District’s Mascot Name Change Faces Federal Scrutiny
On Thursday, the Trump administration declared that the Long Island School District breached federal civil rights law by altering its school mascot’s name. This change was made to align with New York’s prohibition on representations of indigenous peoples.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a decision against the Connetquot Central School District, highlighting yet another conflict with a state law that restricts the use of names, mascots, and logos inspired by Native American culture.
The federal government criticized the Connetquot School Board for not adhering to state mandates.
“OCR determined that the district violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by changing its traditional mascot from the Thunderbirds to the T-Birds solely because of its Native American roots,” Kimberly Ritchie, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, explained in a statement.
“We expect the district to do the right thing, voluntarily rectify the civil rights violations, and abide by our resolution agreement to restore the Thunderbirds’ original name,” Ritchie added. “The Trump administration will be steadfast in ensuring equal treatment for all communities under the law.”
Federal representatives claim that the state’s law against Native American-themed branding breaches civil rights legislation because it does not uphold the same criteria for other races and ethnicities, thus improperly enforcing racial and national origin distinctions in educational policy.
In August, President Trump and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon expressed support for Connetquot and Massapequa High School’s use of the Chiefs mascot.
McMahon praised the district’s commitment to defending its identity against what she described as “woke ideologues” seeking to eliminate the Chiefs and Thunderbirds.
Officials from Connetquot had reached an agreement with state authorities in September to rename the mascot to “T-Birds,” which is basically a truncated version of Thunderbirds.
However, following Thursday’s ruling, federal authorities indicated this change fell short.
“We cautioned the Connetquot School District against undermining the rights of Native Americans and their stakeholders,” said attorneys Oliver Roberts and Chap Peterson of the Native American Parents Association after the federal ruling.
“The district’s actions are disheartening and disgraceful, and it will encounter repercussions from the U.S. Department of Education and the Trump administration in the future,” they warned.
