Amityville schools will comply with deadline for mascot removal

The Amityville school board agreed Wednesday to comply with Friday's deadline for removing Native American mascots and imagery but reserved the option of challenging the state's order in court.

School board President Lisa Johnson said the board would consider the financial burden of a legal challenge compared to that of replacing the Warriors mascot and logo before making a final decision.

“We need to find out what will be the cost to remove everything and what state money would we receive,” she said.

The district, like others across the state, had until Friday to inform the Education Department of its decision.

At least 13 Long Island districts will be affected by the ban. Districts were ordered to pass a resolution by Friday affirming plans to change their name and mascot, and to banish any references by the end of this school year. Districts will have until the end of the 2024-25 school year to implement the changes or risk loss of state aid and the removal of school officers.

Last week, the Massapequa school board took a similar approach as Amityville. The Massapequa board agreed to comply with the state's ban on team names, mascots and logos with Native American imagery, but resolved to challenge the order in court.

At Wednesday's Amityville school board meeting, Sandi Brewster-walker, a member of the Montaukett Indian Nation and an Amityville High graduate, told board members of the pain of seeing caricatures of Native Americans in previous yearbooks.

“We've been here and we're not going anywhere," she said of Native Americans. "You can decide whatever you want on the name, but we're going to fight it on the state level."

Over the past several years, Amityville has phased out its Indian head logo on uniforms, fields and buildings.

School trustee Juan Leon said the district took a $69.9 million taxpayer bond, approved by the state, to replace the previous Indian head logo and headdresses with an “A” logo and the Warriors name in the high school gym.

“Now two to three years later, the state is doing an about-face for the work they approved and now they want us to tear it down and not pay for it,” Leon said.

Board member Jeanette Santos said high school students wanted to keep the Warriors name. Santos said she would be proud if the logo was replaced with a Spanish conquistador.

“I think being a warrior for everyone is a fighter who fights for what they believe in. I don't think it would be good for us to let the name Warrior go,” she said. “I am a fighter and I'm going to fight for the name Warriors.”

CORRECTION: The last name of Sandi Brewster-walker was incorrect in the photo caption in a previous version of this story.