Long Islanders who oppose the change said the mascots instill&nbsp;a sense of&nbsp;community pride, but local Native American leaders say they promote &quot;a stereotypical image&quot; of their community.

Long Island

Education

MASCOTBAN_Gallery

Maura McDermott

A leader of a Suffolk County chapter of the NAACP has sued the Brentwood Union Free School District over&nbsp;its new sports team mascot, the Spartans, which he says is &quot;racially problematic&quot; and discriminatory. 
The lawsuit comes as Brentwood and other Long Island school districts have chosen to drop their Native American mascots, which are banned in New York State public schools. Districts that fail to comply with the ban by June 30 could lose state aid or have school officers, such as elected board members, removed. 
The Brentwood district <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/native-american-imagery-mascot-ban-hs4odd8j" target="_blank">announced last April</a>&nbsp;that the community had voted for the Spartans to replace their teams’ former name, the Indians,&nbsp;after “an inclusive process that involved input from students, staff&nbsp;and the broader community,” schools superintendent Wanda Ortiz-Rivera said in a statement. 
In 2023, then-Superintendent Richard Loeschner said changing from the Indians name could cost more than $400,000 but &quot;you have to do the right thing.&quot; Native American leaders say using their images and names as sports mascots promotes racist stereotypes. 
The school board voted unanimously in November to approve the new name, to take effect by the end of the 2024-25 school year. 
Now the new name has sparked its own controversy. 
The name Spartans refers to residents of an ancient Greek city-state whose military was known for its ferocity.&nbsp; 
But&nbsp;William King Moss III said in a lawsuit filed this month in state court in Riverhead that the Spartans were&nbsp;a group of white, non-Hispanic people who enslaved others and did not allow women to serve in the&nbsp;military. 
<h3>Called 'symbol of White supremacy'</h3> 
Moss, who is representing himself, described&nbsp;himself in the lawsuit as a Brentwood resident who is Black, Belizean American and the father of two girls who are second-grade students at a Brentwood district school. He wrote that he worked as a math teacher from 2000 until 2011 in Brentwood, where he taught units on election math. He is also president of the Islip-Smithtown branch of the NAACP, he wrote. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="William King Moss III in 2022." data-attr-credit="" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/c49ffcab-5db2-4dd1-9304-55e6dea24b06" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/c49ffcab-5db2-4dd1-9304-55e6dea24b06', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/c49ffcab-5db2-4dd1-9304-55e6dea24b06"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/c49ffcab-5db2-4dd1-9304-55e6dea24b06/liBRENT250325a.jpg?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />William King Moss III in 2022.</a> 
The team name is &quot;a symbol of White supremacy,&quot; wrote Moss, now an official with the Lawrence school district. In addition, he wrote, his two daughters &quot;must not be subjected to a symbol of female exclusion&quot; from the military. The district and school board violated the state constitution and state civil rights and human rights laws by using the name, he argued. 
The district declined to comment on the lawsuit. The Spartans logo has not been added to any signs or uniforms, and any outdated uniforms were replaced with items labeled &quot;Brentwood,&quot; according to the district. 
In an interview with Newsday, Moss said he filed the lawsuit to protect his daughters and other students from harmful messages about race and gender. The school board &quot;could not possibly believe that this was the best, sound educational choice for all the students in the Brentwood community,&quot; Moss said. 
Moss&nbsp;has filed previous state and federal lawsuits against the Brentwood school district and other defendants. Court records show that some of the cases are pending, while others ended in dismissals or the withdrawals of the suits. 
<h3>Who Spartans were</h3> 
In an interview, Stella Tsirka, director of the Center for Hellenic Studies at Stony Brook University, said Spartans were indeed depicted as white and they&nbsp;did enslave&nbsp;a conquered&nbsp;people known as Helots.&nbsp;And women did not serve in the military, though they had more rights than in many other ancient societies, she said. 
Spartans trained together from childhood and formed powerful,&nbsp;tight knit groups, which could explain their appeal as sports mascots,&nbsp;Tsirka said. 
The Brentwood district chose the name after students and other community members voted in an online survey last year. The Spartans mascot was the only one of six options with a racial connotation, Moss wrote in his lawsuit. The other choices were the Eagles, Bears, Bulldogs, Owls and Green Machine. 
The district announced that the Spartans name was &quot;the clear favorite,&quot; winning 2,079 out of 9,258 votes cast by about 6,000 students and 3,000 other community members, the lawsuit states. 
That amounts to 22% of votes,&nbsp;Moss wrote. 
Making a choice based on a plurality — that is, the largest nonmajority vote-getter — is &quot;the worst and least effective way&quot; to decide on a winner, Moss wrote. 
He argued the district should have used a method called a Borda count, which he said is viewed as &quot;the most accurate and efficient way&quot; to survey a large population. The method involves letting voters rank candidates. 
Many sports awards, including the Heisman Trophy and most valuable player honors, are awarded using a Borda count, said Will Mantell, a spokesman for FairVote, a nonpartisan election advocacy group. A different method, called ranked choice voting or instant runoff, is used in New York City, Maine and Alaska, he said. 
With Caroline Curtin

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Brentwood's new Spartans mascot is 'racially problematic,' discriminatory, lawsuit claims

Lawsuit: Brentwood's new Spartans mascot is 'racially problematic,' discriminatory

liBRENT250325_photos

Darwin Yanes

For Wantagh resident Matt Susco, &quot;Warriors&quot; isn’t just the name of his hometown’s high school sports team. 
&quot;It’s always been a lifelong sense of pride for us residents, students, since we were children,&quot; said Susco, 46, who is president of the Wantagh Preservation Society. 
So he and many other&nbsp;residents were&nbsp;dismayed&nbsp;when the New York State Board of Regents mandated public schools remove Native American imagery, including&nbsp;mascots and team names like &quot;Warriors.&quot; 
Thirteen districts on the Island were affected by the ban, which was imposed under a state statute that&nbsp;seeks to ensure a &quot;safe and supportive environment&quot; for students.&nbsp;Districts that do not comply by June 30&nbsp;could face a loss&nbsp;of state aid or the removal of school officers, such as elected board members. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Matt Susco of the Wantagh Preservation Society" data-attr-credit="Newsday" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/a10b5f5c-e7cb-4031-9e46-45da101e72d9" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/a10b5f5c-e7cb-4031-9e46-45da101e72d9', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/a10b5f5c-e7cb-4031-9e46-45da101e72d9"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/a10b5f5c-e7cb-4031-9e46-45da101e72d9/IMG_8504.jpg?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Matt Susco of the Wantagh Preservation Society</a> 
Nine districts have either announced new names and mascots&nbsp;or said they will do so by the deadline. But four others&nbsp;— Wantagh, Wyandanch, Connetquot and Massapequa&nbsp;— have&nbsp;pushed back, filing suit for the right to&nbsp;keep their decades-old names or arguing the ban&nbsp;violates&nbsp;their constitutional rights.&nbsp; 
Residents who oppose the change said the mascots instill&nbsp;a sense of&nbsp;community pride and tradition, and contend&nbsp; they actually honor&nbsp;the Native Americans who once occupied much of Long Island. 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/long-island-indians-first-inhabitants-a84959">Native Americans</a> had&nbsp;lived on the Island for thousands of years before many were displaced by European settlers in the 1600s. Today, there are two recognized tribes on the Island: the&nbsp;Shinnecock in Southampton and the Unkechaug in Mastic. The Montaukett Indian Nation lost its state recognition in 1910; last month,&nbsp;Gov. Kathy Hochul again vetoed legislation that would have reinstated it, Newsday <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/region-state/montaukett-indian-nation-recognition-hochul-tzps0shi">reported</a>.&nbsp; 
Local Native American leaders dispute assertions the mascots are a form of tribute, saying the names and logos&nbsp;promote &quot;a stereotypical image&quot; of their community and damage Indigenous&nbsp;children's self-esteem. 
&quot;It speaks to an acceptance of a racist caricature of&nbsp;a people who are alive, well, living, breathing with a distinct culture,&quot; said&nbsp;Harry Wallace,&nbsp;chief of the Unkechaug Indian Nation. 
<h3>'Community and camaraderie'</h3> 
In 2023,&nbsp;the Wantagh school district surveyed community members about&nbsp;the mascot ban.&nbsp;About 54% of the 962 respondents said the district should keep its name and imagery, a profile of a Native American man with a feather, while another 33.9% said just the name &quot;Warriors&quot; should remain.&nbsp;In the same survey, 73.7% of the respondents said the district should file a lawsuit against the state to keep the name. 
The district has agreed to get rid of its Native American mascot, but is <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/wantagh-wyandanch-native-american-xlo9xcnx">fighting </a>to retain its name. 
&quot;To remove these logos&nbsp;and names would be a travesty because you cannot forget history,&quot; said Susco, who has a tattoo of a Native American head in full headdress near his left bicep. 
Cathy Powell, 58, of Wantagh, agreed. She&nbsp;said the &quot;Warriors&quot; name honors the former sachem, or chief, of the Montauk Indians that the area is named after. She added that she believes&nbsp;it unifies the community, while honoring the legacy of the Native Americans that once inhabited the space. 
&quot;When people call us 'Warriors,' there is a deep-seated&nbsp;pride in that,&quot; she said. &quot;There is a deep-seated&nbsp;community and camaraderie, and you really focus on the task at hand, the fight at hand.&quot; 
But former Wantagh resident&nbsp;Glenn Strachan, who runs a virtual memorial page remembering Wantagh residents who have died, said, &quot;There needs to be sensitivity given to Native Americans that have asked that their images not be appropriated for other issues.&quot; 
Strachan, 67, now lives in Annapolis, Maryland, but remains connected to the community. In addition to the memorial page, he also runs several Wantagh alumni Facebook pages.&nbsp; 
Referring to the mascot ban, he said, &quot;In 10, 12 years from now, when everyone's worked their way&nbsp;through the school system … no one will care.&quot; 
Wantagh schools Superintendent John McNamara said in a statement the district is awaiting the outcome of its lawsuit and &quot;remains hopeful&quot; the Warriors name will be preserved. He noted &nbsp;a district mascot committee met in 2023&nbsp;and provided recommendations to the board of education. 
&quot;Regardless of the decision, the district is prepared to respond appropriately,&quot; he said. 
<h3>'I’m a warrior'</h3> 
Farther east in Wyandanch, some residents&nbsp;expressed a similar connection to the Warriors’ name. 
The hamlet is named after a Native American chief named Wyandanch, who is believed to have been born around 1615 in Montauk, according to the Town of Babylon website.&nbsp; 
Longtime Wyandanch resident Robert Johnson, 55, said the community has seen much change lately, between new developments, construction of charter schools and the influx of new residents. Now more than ever, he said, the nickname resonates with him. 
&quot;We’ve been through so much … that sense of saying 'I’m a warrior' and having the actual picture means a lot,&quot; he said. 
The Wyandanch schools' logo had been a&nbsp;Native American in a headdress, but they have since switched to&nbsp;the letter W. The district is suing to keep the &quot;Warriors&quot; name. 
Johnson has a daughter in high school and is active in the community.&nbsp;He said he agrees with the district’s officials fighting to keep the “Warriors” name, but he acknowledged a loss of state aid could force their hand. 
&quot;It would hurt us,&quot; he said. &quot;I think if we got to that, my community might fold, but we tried to fight and that shows that we’re warriors.&quot; 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Robert Johnson supports keeping Wyandanch schools' nickname, the &quot;Warriors.&quot;" data-attr-credit="Newsday" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/783ea8d4-ae90-4728-867b-306da469ef2d" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/783ea8d4-ae90-4728-867b-306da469ef2d', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/783ea8d4-ae90-4728-867b-306da469ef2d"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/783ea8d4-ae90-4728-867b-306da469ef2d/IMG_8575.jpg?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Robert Johnson supports keeping Wyandanch schools' nickname, the &quot;Warriors.&quot;</a> 
Gerren Nixon, 47, said the &quot;Warriors&quot; name is &quot;like a battle cry&quot; for the community, but he noted he has mixed feelings on the issue. 
&quot;Being an alumni, it’s disappointing,&quot; he said of the potential change. &quot;That name has been a tradition in the community for decades.&quot; 
But the Class of 1994 graduate said he understood why the imagery and name could cause distress to some Native Americans. 
&quot;We understand the climate of the situation,&quot; he said. &quot;We’re trying to plead with them to keep it.&quot; 
Nixon said he hopes the district can find a &quot;compromise&quot; to keep the name. 
Interim Superintendent of Schools&nbsp;Laurence Aronstein said in a statement, &quot;Wyandanch is awaiting the court’s decision.&nbsp;Based on that decision, we will explore our future options.&quot; 
<h3>Fight to keep mascot</h3> 
The Connetquot and Massapequa districts have taken a different stance in their suits, seeking to invalidate the statewide ban as a whole. 
Massapequa goes by the name Chiefs&nbsp;and its mascot is also a Native American man in a headdress. Connetquot is known as the Thunderbirds, or T-Birds. Its logo is a red, black and white bird.&nbsp; 
School officials in&nbsp;both districts declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. 
After a recent junior varsity basketball game at Connetquot High School in Bohemia, Luciano Calvosa said he didn't think the change made sense. 
&quot;When you’re in Connetquot, the main thing you’re remembered for is being a T-Bird and if you change the mascot, there’s not going to be a lot of legacy behind it anymore,&quot; said Calvosa, 20, of Bohemia. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Connetquot's mascot can be seen during a high school basketball game in December." data-attr-credit="Newsday" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/a2fa74b0-7214-4cf5-82d4-5a928409d9dd" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/a2fa74b0-7214-4cf5-82d4-5a928409d9dd', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/a2fa74b0-7214-4cf5-82d4-5a928409d9dd"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/a2fa74b0-7214-4cf5-82d4-5a928409d9dd/1C0A0274.jpg?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Connetquot's mascot can be seen during a high school basketball game in December.</a> 
The name &quot;Thunderbirds&quot; was first chosen by students in the 1960s and eventually morphed into the &quot;T-Birds,&quot; Newsday <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/state-mascot-ban-native-american-connetquot-rsp6n42u">previously reported.</a> The district, in its&nbsp;suit, argued that mythical birds like the Thunderbird&nbsp;and other creatures are not unique to Native American culture. 
The word&nbsp;&quot;Connetquot&quot; is an Algonquian Indian word meaning &quot;at the long river,&quot; according to a local records database. Similarly, Massapequa comes from the Native American &quot;Marspeag&quot; or &quot;Mashpeag,&quot; which means great water land. 
In Massapequa, Native American imagery is not only ingrained on sports jerseys but also in a mural&nbsp;next to a bagel shop&nbsp;and even in the chamber of commerce logo. 
&quot;It’s a long-standing tradition that represents the history and spirit of Massapequa,&quot; said Robin Hepworth, president of the Massapequa Chamber of Commerce. &quot;I don’t feel that it disrespects the Native American culture. I feel 'Chiefs' symbolizes strength, leadership, honor.&quot; 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="A mural near Massapequa High School features the district's contested mascot." data-attr-credit="Newsday" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/a67396ef-1b7b-4c2c-8993-b09fccd886e6" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/a67396ef-1b7b-4c2c-8993-b09fccd886e6', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/a67396ef-1b7b-4c2c-8993-b09fccd886e6"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/a67396ef-1b7b-4c2c-8993-b09fccd886e6/IMG_8531.jpg?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />A mural near Massapequa High School features the district's contested mascot.</a> 
Hepworth said she believes decisions about the district's name and mascot should be determined by the community and not by&nbsp;the state. 
&quot;It should involve input from community members, our businesses, our alumni and residents,&quot; she said. 
A spokesman for the state Education Department did not respond to a request for comment. 
Tom&nbsp;Kelly, a comedian and longtime Massapequa resident, also believes the name and mascot should stay. 
&quot;The Massapequa Chief is more than a symbol of the town’s 20th century heritage,&quot; he said. &quot;It is a well-intended attempt at paying homage to those who occupied this land before us.&quot; 
But Susan Ward, also of&nbsp;Massapequa, said,&nbsp;&quot;I feel we took so much from them (Native Americans). If this is something they want and it makes them feel heard, I’m &nbsp;OK with that.&quot; 
The original settlers of the area now known as Massapequa were believed to be members of the Lenape tribe, who spoke the&nbsp;Algonquin language, according to the website of&nbsp;the Massapequas&nbsp;municipalities.&nbsp; 
<h3>Cost of change</h3> 
In October, the Amityville school district dropped a lawsuit that aimed to keep the Warriors nickname, as some board of education members cited &quot;rising legal fees and the unlikelihood of success,&quot; Newsday previously&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/amityville-mascot-ban-axwxt007">reported</a>. 
Wantagh had spent&nbsp;$13,022 in lawyer fees as of September and more than $61,000 to replace the middle and high school gym floors with a new &quot;W&quot; logo. School officials&nbsp;have&nbsp;estimated they would have to pay more than $650,000 to replace all references to the &quot;Warriors&quot; nickname, as well as the mascot&nbsp;imagery, according to a district plan on their website. 
Massapequa had&nbsp;spent nearly $35,000 to fight the ban as of October, according to numbers provided to Newsday through&nbsp;a Freedom of Information Law request. Officials did not provide an estimate on the overall cost of a potential change. 
Connetquot officials estimated&nbsp; they would have to spend upward of $323,000 to comply with the state ban.&nbsp;Wyandanch&nbsp;did not provide cost figures to Newsday. 
But Native American leaders argue the changes are necessary. 
Lance Gumbs, vice chairman of the Shinnecock council of trustees, said there&nbsp;has been a concerted effort to educate people on the harm Native American mascot imagery has on young children. 
&quot;It's something that we feel strongly about,&quot; he said. &quot;There's been a number of national studies showing the trauma and how it affects our native and Indigenous children&nbsp;around the nation, not just Long Island.&quot; 
A 2020 study&nbsp;by researchers at the&nbsp;University of Michigan and&nbsp;University of California, Berkeley&nbsp;found such mascots decrease&nbsp;self-esteem, feelings of&nbsp;community worth and achievement-related aspirations&nbsp;in the Native American population. 
Gumbs noted a &quot;warrior&quot; is a status that must be earned among some tribes in&nbsp;the Native American community. 
&quot;We applauded the state for making a decision to humanize the Indigenous people that are here, that these names directly affect,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;We will fight until the end to have those names changed.&quot; 
As for arguments by some that the schools' names and imagery&nbsp;honor the Native American community and their roots, Wallace of the Unkechaug Indian Nation called them a &quot;red herring.&quot;&nbsp; 
&quot;If you were really truly honoring the people who lived there before, you would be protecting their burial sites,&nbsp;you would be protecting the culture of those people, you would be introducing the historical identity of those people who were there before, but you do none of that,&quot; he said. 
With Virginia Huie

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NYS ban on Native American mascots, team names: 4 LI districts are pushing forward with legal fight

Dispute over NYS ban on Native American mascots, team names continues in these LI school districts

Wantagh, Wyandanch, Connetquot and Massapequa&nbsp;have&nbsp;pushed back on the mandate&nbsp;that public schools remove all references to Native American imagery. NewsdayTV&#39;s Virginia Huie reports.

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NYS mascot ban: 4 LI school districts pushing forward with legal fight

Massapequa

Wantagh

Wyandanch

Bohemia

Newsday

'This is part of our symbol of pride'

Jim Baumbach

The Amityville school district dropped a federal lawsuit that sought to keep its Warriors nickname despite the state&nbsp;ban on Native American&nbsp;names, mascots and imagery, according to a court document filed late&nbsp;Monday. 
Although the district provided no explanation in its two-page filing in U.S. District Court in Central Islip, several Board of Education members recently voiced concern about rising legal fees and the unlikelihood of success.&nbsp; 
&quot;I feel like we’re in a losing lawsuit,&quot; board&nbsp;member Wendy Canestro&nbsp;said at a&nbsp;meeting last month. 
The district has been plagued by financial woes and the school board in March <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/amityville-budget-gap-oeeud1u5">approved 47 teacher and staff layoffs</a>&nbsp;to account for&nbsp;a $3.6 million deficit. It separately <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/amityville-school-budget-nys-qs6xewy6">avoided closing an elementary school</a> after a last-minute state aid infusion. 
Amityville <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/amityville-school-district-board-of-regents-ban-native-american-mascots-sjhcrjkq">sued the state Board of Regents</a>&nbsp;last year seeking a federal judge's permission to keep the Warriors name, citing a four-year, $1 million rebranding effort by the district that led to the removal of all Native American imagery from school grounds. 
Amityville’s lawsuit called it &quot;illogical and a huge waste of taxpayer dollars to force the district to have to change the already rebranded Warriors name and replace all of these newly purchased items again.&quot; 
Superintendent Gina Talbert said in a statement that the search for a new name will include input from students, staff and residents. 
&quot;We are committed to collaborating with our community to thoughtfully replace the Warrior name,&quot; she said. &quot;Together, we will work to select a new identity that reflects our shared values and promotes inclusivity while honoring the spirit of our school community.&quot; 
School districts statewide have until the end of the school year to comply with the ban by removing all references on property. Of the 13 Long Island districts impacted, eight have announced new nicknames or said they will comply by the deadline. 
Four others&nbsp;have active litigation&nbsp;related to the state's mascot ban. 
The Wantagh and Wyandanch districts filed lawsuits in federal court seeking to keep their names, also Warriors, and the Connetquot and Massapequa districts sued to render the state's ban &quot;null.&quot; 
Officials from the four districts confirmed Tuesday they&nbsp;are&nbsp;still committed to the&nbsp;lawsuits. 
At Amityville's&nbsp;September public meeting, board members said they were told the lawsuit likely wouldn't&nbsp;be decided until spring. They&nbsp;expressed concern about the financial ramifications of rushing to meet the state's deadline if a judge ruled against them. 
The district already has spent several thousand dollars more in legal fees on the lawsuit than its initial cap of $18,000, board president Lisa Johnson said at the meeting. The district faced another $10,000 to $20,000 in attorney fees before a possible decision, board member Caroline Fanning added. 
&quot;We’re really pushing the envelope by keep waiting and we keep dumping the money into this,&quot; Canestro said at the meeting. 
Reached Tuesday, Canestro said she recognizes the pride the community has&nbsp;in the Warriors name and still believes&nbsp;&quot;this is overreach by the state.&quot; But she said she believes it's in the district's best interest to abandon the lawsuit. 
&quot;The district is working through financial instability and we simply cannot afford to allocate more resources into a lawsuit with no guarantee of outcome,&quot; she said. 
Amityville's lawsuit had also cited how the state gave an upstate district permission to retain the Warriors name. Board members said they've since learned that district petitioned the state with the approval of the local Native American tribe, something Amityville does not have. 
&quot;The district decided not to further litigate this matter due to the … associated costs that would have been incurred, which could have resulted in [an] unfavorable decision,&quot; Johnson said in a statement to Newsday.

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Amityville drops suit over NYS ban on Native American names

Amityville drops suit over Native American name ban

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Manhasset school officials have selected a new name for their athletic teams and earmarked about $430,000 for costs associated with changing it, making the district the latest on Long Island to comply with the state’s Native American mascot ban. 
In a June 11 letter to the community, schools Superintendent Gaurav Passi announced the district's teams will now go by Manhasset&nbsp;or 'Set,&nbsp;concluding&nbsp;a yearlong process.&nbsp;The new tag replaces the district’s Indians&nbsp;nickname and imagery associated with it. 
&quot; 'Set&quot; is a nickname traditionally used by students and staff that&nbsp;resonates with the community, Passi said in his letter. 
A poll taken by the community, which helped select the new name, also determined that no mascot was necessary. 
&quot;Our traditional school colors of blue and orange will remain unchanged, and we will retain a modified version of the M logo that eliminates the feather to maintain the continuity of our school’s identity,&quot; Passi wrote in his letter. 
Manhasset school officials declined to comment further. 
The district had created a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/sewanhaka-central-high-school-district-manhasset-mascot-ban-ehn6p7hy" target="_blank">committee</a>&nbsp;that included students, parents and members of the community to help with the selection process and make recommendations.&nbsp;Other top choices for a nickname were Mavericks and Eagles, Passi's&nbsp;letter said. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="A poll taken by the community, which helped select 'Set, determined that no mascot was necessary.
" data-attr-credit="" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/0c4b400a-e6dd-4f6c-a2eb-49109ad8288e" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/0c4b400a-e6dd-4f6c-a2eb-49109ad8288e', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/0c4b400a-e6dd-4f6c-a2eb-49109ad8288e"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/0c4b400a-e6dd-4f6c-a2eb-49109ad8288e/DMC_7096-2.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />A poll taken by the community, which helped select 'Set, determined that no mascot was necessary. </a> 
The Manhasset school board approved the measure for the name change&nbsp;at a June 6 meeting and authorized the district to undertake the work associated with it at a cost not to exceed $432,015, according to the resolution. That&nbsp;includes &quot;contracts for public works and/or the purchase of supplies, material or equipment, necessary to carry out the work.&quot;&nbsp; 
Manhasset boys soccer coach Mark Giardino&nbsp;told Newsday the district has already remodeled the gym floor, turf&nbsp;and provided new uniforms to some teams.&nbsp; 
“We actually got new uniforms this summer, a lot of teams, because our budget is going to be so tight next year that while we do have some leeway with time, I guess funds were available more so this year than next year,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
Keeping the name 'Set, &quot;I believe, keeps a little bit of tradition,&quot; he said. 
&quot;To be in the 'Set program is to be part of the Manhasset family and the Manhasset community,&quot; Giardino said.&nbsp;&quot;And I think that doesn't change when we lose the name Indians, and the tradition continues with 'Set.&quot;&nbsp; 
Manhasset was one of 13&nbsp;Long Island school districts affected by the state’s ban&nbsp;on the use of Native American nicknames and imagery, which was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/new-york-state-native-american-mascot-ban-long-island-schools-aqfercg8" target="_blank">announced in April of last year</a>. 
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Districts have until June 30 next year to make changes or potentially&nbsp;face a loss of state aid and the removal of school officers, according to state guidelines. 
So far, nickname changes have taken place in&nbsp;three&nbsp;other affected Island districts. Half Hollow Hills High School&nbsp;East changed to Red Hawks from Thunderbirds;&nbsp;Brentwood High School changed to&nbsp;Spartans from Indians;&nbsp;and Sewanhaka High School&nbsp;changed to Ravens from Indians.&nbsp; 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/hills-east-comsewogue-native-american-mascot-ban-ulix1cjs" target="_blank">Comsewogue High School</a> will change its name to the Spartans beginning next school year. 
The districts of East Islip, Sachem and Syosset are in the process of making changes.&nbsp;Officials at those three districts did not comment further. 
Amityville, Connetquot, Massapequa, Wantagh and Wyandanch have filed legal challenges to the mandate. 
Wantagh Superintendent John McNamara said the&nbsp;district created a committee to explore two options — keeping the Warriors&nbsp;name but with new imagery, or finding a new name entirely. 
&quot;The district is hoping to be able to keep the Warriors name and just develop new imagery,&quot; he said. &quot;If that doesn’t pan out, we’ll go with the other plan.&quot; 
McNamara said it&nbsp;would cost &quot;several hundred thousand dollars&quot; to change uniforms, fields and other related material. 
Passi,&nbsp;in his letter to the Manhasset community, noted&nbsp;that the board previously resolved that legacy or memorial items, which are considered to be &quot;historical artifacts,&quot; will not be removed or changed. 
With Ben Dickson

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Manhasset schools change nickname, abiding by state ban on Native American mascots

Manhasset schools change name to 'Set from Indians

Gregg Sarra

Two more Long Island high schools have chosen new team names to comply with the state's Native American mascot&nbsp;ban. 
Half Hollow Hills High School East will become the Red Hawks this fall, according to Deb Ferry, the director of athletics for the district. Comsewogue High School will become the Spartans, a change that will take place for the 2025-26 school year, the district's director of athletics, Matt DeVincenzo, said. 
“We had a vote that included our faculty, students, community and administration,” Ferry said. “Red Hawks was the winner and we’re very happy with it. We’re also keeping our main school colors. They will remain red and black.” 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Half Hollow Hills High School East will keep its school colors of red and black as it changes its nickname to the Red Hawks." data-attr-credit="" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/a9d86b02-0282-4a4c-b02f-bffa1713166b" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/a9d86b02-0282-4a4c-b02f-bffa1713166b', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/a9d86b02-0282-4a4c-b02f-bffa1713166b"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/a9d86b02-0282-4a4c-b02f-bffa1713166b/download.png?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Half Hollow Hills High School East will keep its school colors of red and black as it changes its nickname to the Red Hawks.</a> 
Half Hollow Hills East used to be the Thunderbirds, a name that has Indigenous roots. 
Public schools statewide using Native American mascots, team names and logos have until June 30&nbsp;to change the names, logos and imagery on buildings, uniforms and playing fields, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/native-american-mascot-ban-hb70x5fv" target="_blank">according to the mandate approved</a> by the Board of Regents in April last year. The order fell under the Dignity for All Students Act, enacted to create a nonhostile learning environment for students. 
There are 13 districts on Long Island affected by the ban.&nbsp; 
There are five districts&nbsp;on Long Island that have filed legal challenges to the state mandate: Amityville, Connetquot, Massapequa, Wantagh and Wyandanch. 
Brentwood High School <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/native-american-imagery-mascot-ban-hs4odd8j" target="_blank">recently changed its name to the Spartans</a>, and <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/sewanhaka-schools-mascot-indians-ravens-ed7unt8l" target="_blank">Sewanhaka High School changed to the Ravens</a>. Both schools had been the Indians. 
Four other districts — Sachem, East Islip, Manhasset and Syosset — are in the process of making the change. 
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Ferry said the Dix Hills school is still working on a new logo and has to remove the old Thunderbirds logo and lettering from the turf football field.&nbsp; 
“We’ll be forced to remove about 30 yards of turf in the middle of the field to take out the old logo,” she said. 
The&nbsp;changes will cost approximately $110,000, Ferry said. 
“We had a lot of success as the Thunderbirds and we hope to build on that winning culture as the Red Hawks,” Hills East football coach Alex Marcelin said. “I really like that we kept our primary school colors of black and red and we can mix in our chrome gray uniforms. There’s been a real positive feel around the name change so it’s all good as we move forward.” 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Comsewogue's football team takes the field on Oct. 23, 2021, when it played Kings Park." data-attr-credit="" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/fefc4faa-b1de-4618-9ff8-932685c48a99" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/fefc4faa-b1de-4618-9ff8-932685c48a99', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/fefc4faa-b1de-4618-9ff8-932685c48a99"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/fefc4faa-b1de-4618-9ff8-932685c48a99/8e049eca-ee51-4eed-9812-2f172f6e0d6d?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Comsewogue's football team takes the field on Oct. 23, 2021, when it played Kings Park.</a> 
In Port Jefferson Station, the Comsewogue School District is going back to its roots. According to DeVincenzo, each of the six schools in the district proposed a new nickname, and students and staff voted to go with Spartans. 
“It was a very democratic way of selecting the new name and it made complete sense,” DeVincenzo said. “We were the Spartans 55 years ago when we only had middle school. We were the JFK Spartans. Transitioning from Warriors to Spartans is kind of cool, and I like it.” 
John F. Kennedy Middle School still has the green banners of the Spartans teams from the early 1970s. When Comsewogue High School opened in 1972, the nickname was the Warriors, and the high school colors were changed to blue and yellow. 
“The colors will remain blue and yellow with the Spartans,” DeVincenzo said. 
For the Half Hollow Hills district, one issue remains.&nbsp;There are two high schools in the district. Half Hollow Hills High School West uses the Colts as its nickname. When the two schools combined to form a team, it would use&nbsp;the name ThunderColts,&nbsp;which won't work now that Hills East is the Red Hawks. 
“The next process will be to figure out a mascot and official nickname for our combined programs within the district,” Ferry said. “We’ll tackle that next.”

Sports

High School

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2 more Long Island high schools change team names in response to NYS Native American mascot ban

2 more LI high schools change team names in response to mascot ban

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Half Hollow Hills East and Comsewogue High School will change their names&nbsp;in response to New York State&#39;s ban on&nbsp;Native American mascots. NewsdayTV&#39;s Carissa Kellman reports.

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2 more LI schools change team names in response to mascot ban

Dix Hills

Port Jefferson Station

Hills East, Comsewogue to have new mascots by 2025

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Craig Schneider

Sewanhaka High School&nbsp;officials have announced their mascot will change to the Ravens&nbsp;as the district complies with the state mandate for schools to eliminate Native American mascots by June of next year. 
The new mascot, which replaces the Indians&nbsp;logo, was announced during a school board meeting Wednesday night. It followed a year of surveys and committee work with input from the community, students, faculty and alumni, said high school Principal Nichole Allen. 
&quot;The desire of the community was to honor the traditions of Sewanhaka and pay homage to the Native American culture for which we are named,&quot; Allen said, according to a video recording of the meeting. 
She added, &quot;This was no easy task, and emotions were involved. But this group … wanted to ensure the legacy of this building would remain although the mascot would change.&quot;&nbsp; 
The process of replacing the mascot at the Floral Park school began last spring&nbsp;following the mandate by the state Board of Regents that public schools in the state replace mascots that use Native American names and imagery. The decision affected 13 school districts on Long Island, which must make the changes by June 30, 2025. 
There are five high schools altogether with various mascots in the Sewanhaka district. Sewanhaka High School is the only one in the district required&nbsp;to make the change. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park last month. The Indians name and logo will soon be replaced by the Ravens. 
" data-attr-credit="Newsday" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/b050b7fb-1844-4ff7-8b27-e2e4dc70ba3c" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/b050b7fb-1844-4ff7-8b27-e2e4dc70ba3c', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/b050b7fb-1844-4ff7-8b27-e2e4dc70ba3c"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/b050b7fb-1844-4ff7-8b27-e2e4dc70ba3c/3V7A611959461.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park last month. The Indians name and logo will soon be replaced by the Ravens. </a> 
Rough mock-ups of the new mascot were revealed during the meeting, showing the image of a raven with its wings spread wide, as well as the bird in profile, using the school colors of purple and&nbsp;gold.&nbsp;The new logo, expected to be refined and completed next week,&nbsp;will be put into use in September, Allen said. 
District Superintendent Thomas Dolan said,&nbsp;&quot;We chose a wonderful mascot. It is still consistent with Native American imagery. There are a lot of connections between ravens and Native American lore.&quot;&nbsp; 
Allen said the raven represents change and transformation, and she noted that the bird is having a &quot;comeback&quot; on Long Island. 
Dolan thanked Assemb. Michaelle Solages (D-Elmont) for obtaining a grant for $200,000 to modify facilities at the school. That includes changing the logos on the football field and basketball court as well as school uniforms, for a total estimated cost of about $500,000, he said. 
&quot;The new mascot marks a new chapter for Sewanhaka High School and marks a positive step in creating a more inclusive school environment,&quot; said Solages, a graduate of the district, in a statement. 
The committee driving the process was composed of 34 alumni, community members, students and faculty, Allen said. The committee sent out surveys to gauge&nbsp;the community's sentiment on changing the mascot, and 500 residents responded. The potential names were whittled down to three: the Aviators, Ravens and&nbsp;Wolves.&nbsp;Another community poll helped choose the final name, she said. 
“I am very happy with the new mascot,&quot; said Sewanhaka Athletic Director&nbsp;Matt McLees. &quot;All voices were heard and this mascot will become the new face of Sewanhaka High School moving forward.” 
Several Long Island school districts are close to announcing new mascots. In Brentwood, a&nbsp;community and student survey has chosen Spartans&nbsp;for the mascot, to replace Indians.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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Harry Wallace, chief&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Unkechaug Nation, who lives on the Poospatuck reservation in Mastic,&nbsp;said he was pleased that the Sewanhaka district was following the state's mandate to remove &quot;these offensive mascots.&quot; 
&quot;Perhaps now the schools can begin a real process of education about the true story of Native Americans in this state and begin a meaningful dialogue with Unkechaug, Matinecock, Setaukett, Montaukett and Shinnecock communities about history and culture,&quot; he wrote in an email. 
The mandate, which came with a threat of losing state aid, was met by outcries in some communities, where critics said the state was overstepping its authority and that the names represented tradition and community pride. Legal action taken by five Island districts — Amityville, Connetquot, Massapequa, Wantagh and Wyandanch —&nbsp;is ongoing. 
With&nbsp;Gregg Sarra

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Sewanhaka H.S. changes mascot from Indians to Ravens

Sewanhaka H.S. changes Indians mascot to Ravens

Where LI schools stand on mascot ban

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A year after the announcement that all New York&nbsp;schools must remove imagery and mascots representing&nbsp;Native Americans, some school districts&nbsp;have made progress toward&nbsp;this goal. And some have not. NewsdayTV&#39;s Macy Egeland reports.

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Where LI school districts stand a year after the indigenous-mascot ban

Floral Park

'What is the impact that you want to have?'

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Laura Albanese

The Massapequa school district filed a lawsuit against the New York State Board of Regents Thursday claiming the agency violated its constitutional rights when it banned the use of Native American mascots, team names and imagery in public schools. 
 The ban, which was codified in May, stated that affected schools had to resolve to do away with the team names and imagery by June 2022, and eradicate all references to the name and imagery by the end of the 2024-2025 school year.&nbsp; 
 Massapequa goes by “Chiefs” and is one of 13 Long Island districts affected by the statute. 
 “The Chief is more than a logo to our schools and community,” the board of education wrote in a letter on its website. &quot;It is our history and our heritage. When we speak of the Massapequa ‘Chief,’ we do so with pride and respect. As a Board, we are united in our efforts to stand up for our community and years of tradition.” 
 State education department spokesman JP O'Hare said it does not comment on pending litigation. The state previously said the statute is allowed under the Dignity For All Students Act, which intends to create a non-hostile learning environment for students. 
 A copy of the complaint, filed in federal district court and obtained by Newsday, alleges that the board of regents: 
<ul> 
 <li> Violated standard procedure to essentially fast-track the ban. </li> 
 <li> Exceeded its scope of authority by creating a “blanket prohibition” that didn’t specify which schools would have to make the change. </li> 
 <li> As an administrative body working within the executive branch, infringed on the governmental separation of powers; the suit alleges that though it is being termed a “statute,” the ban functions as a law, and creation of law is a legislative duty. </li> 
 <li> Was “impermissibly… [and] unconstitutionally vague” in violation of the 14th Amendment protecting the right to due process. </li> 
 <li> Violates the first amendment when banning school officials and officers from wearing “Chiefs” apparel, both on school property and when attending school functions like athletic events.&nbsp; </li> 
</ul> 
 A message left with the district’s lawyer was not returned. 
 The state has said that schools that don't comply risk losing state aid and the removal of school officers, though the state said this is a last resort. 
 Other Long Island schools have signaled an intent to challenge the ban. 
 Amityville, Comsewogue, Wyandanch, Wantagh, all of which go by “Warriors,” and Sachem (“Flaming Arrows”) adopted the resolution to change their names while stipulating that they maintain the&nbsp;right to push back against the state’s regulation. Some of those schools said they were open to eradicating their mascot while keeping their team names. 
 The state, though, said names such as “Warriors” must go if they were ever associated with Indigenous imagery. The remaining affected districts are Brentwood, Manhasset and Sewanhaka (&quot;Indians&quot;), Half Hollow Hills' East High School and Connetquot (&quot;Thunderbirds&quot;), Syosset (&quot;Braves&quot;), and East Islip (Redmen).&nbsp; 
 Schools did have a window to obtain an exemption from federally or state-recognized tribes, but no Long Island school was able to secure one before a May 3 deadline. 
 The complaint saw issue with the exemption process as well. 
 Tribes “cannot be the sole decision-makers on whether a school district’s use of an Indigenous name, logo, or mascot is legal,” it reads. “They are not elected officials accountable to constituents…” 
 Massapequa previously reached out to the Shinnecock, according to Rainbow Chavis, who works for the tribe’s human resources department. Those conversations stalled, with Chavis noting that the Chiefs' logo isn’t historically accurate since it depicts a Western tribal member, and not a Native American indigenous to Long Island. 
 “It’s offensive when you say you’re trying to honor us,” Shinnecock chairman Bryan Polite said earlier this year. “That’s hogwash. If that were true, talk to someone [from the local tribe]. You honor us by incorporating our history into the curriculum, having a cultural exchange, having the [students] come to a pow wow and writing a paper over the summer.” 
 With Jim Baumbach

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Massapequa school district files lawsuit claiming Native American mascot ban is unconstitutional

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Joie Tyrrell

The Amityville school district has filed a lawsuit against the state Board of Regents seeking to keep the “Warriors” name following the state’s ban on public schools using Native American mascots, names and imagery. 
 The lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of New York on Thursday, said the district has already rebranded its name by retiring any Native American imagery and replacing it. The current “Warriors” logo, which has been in place since 2018, is the letter “A” (for Amityville) in the school colors, which are red and gray and has the word “Warriors” written across it. 
 The rebranding effort — which the district initiated on its own —&nbsp;started about four years ago and has cost about $1 million. 
 “It would be illogical and a huge waste of taxpayer dollars to force the district to have to change the already rebranded Warriors name and replace all of these newly purchased items again,” according to&nbsp;the court document. 
 Since 2018, the district has removed Native American imagery from three gym floors, outdoor turf, and all scoreboards, floor mats, bleachers, awnings, banners&nbsp;and signage. All of these items were replaced with newly purchased items sporting the new logo. The district has no mascot outside of its logo. 
 The plaintiffs are the Board of Education and Jeannette Santos in her capacity as a board member and a district resident. The suit&nbsp;names the members of the Board of Regents. 
 The new state rules called for public school systems to have agreed by June that they would comply with the ban, and then to eradicate references to Native American names, mascots and imagery on school property by June 2025. 
 The state education department and the Board of Regents declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. 
 Amityville is among 13 Long Island school districts affected by the ban. The 3,150-student district is the latest to sue, just weeks after the Connetquot, Massapequa, Wantagh and Wyandanch&nbsp;districts filed lawsuits. The court documents contend&nbsp;that the ban was not lawfully enacted, is arbitrary and capricious, and raises constitutional issues.&nbsp;As with the other districts, Amityville is represented by&nbsp;Kleinberg and Weisbord of Carle Place. 
 The district has taken issue with the state’s ban on the word “Warriors.” 
 “Fast forward through history, and you have the great warriors of Ancient Rome and Greece, such as the Trojan Warriors and Spartan warriors who came from a warrior society in ancient Greece. Ancient Greek warriors, like Achilles, Hercules, Odysseus, and Perseus, are well known throughout the world, and have inspired countless movies and tv shows, like Xena: The Warrior Princess,” the suit read. 
 The court documents noted that many names of municipalities, bodies of water and other landmarks statewide are derived from Native American culture, and that the state didn’t provide details when it enacted the ban. 
 “The Board of Regents issued a sweeping regulation prohibiting any nonexempt use of an Indigenous name, logo, or image, without taking their origin into account.&quot; the suit said. 
 The district&nbsp;argued that an upstate school system — Chenango Valley Central School District — has been allowed to keep the name “because it was not connected with Indigenous Nations or peoples.” read the suit. Chenango Valley's nickname&nbsp;also is&nbsp;Warriors. 
 &nbsp;“The District has already retired its use of Native American imagery in association with the 'Warriors'&nbsp;name. As such, there is no rational reason why the District should not be able to continue to use the Warriors name. Nor is there any rational reason why the District should have to change the Warriors after having already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars rebranding it.”&nbsp; 
 With Jim Baumbach

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Amityville school district sues over ban on Native American mascots

Amityville district sues state over ban on Native American mascots, imagery

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Dandan Zou

The Connetquot school district has filed a lawsuit against the state Board of Regents that seeks to invalidate a statewide ban on public schools from using Native American mascots, names and imagery. 
 The lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of New York on Monday, called the ban&nbsp;“unconstitutional” and said the Board of Regents, which sets much of the state’s education policies, exceeded its authority. 
 The new rules&nbsp;call&nbsp;on districts to eliminate references to Native American names, mascots and imagery on school property by June 2025. 
 The issue at heart in Connetquot is the use of “Thunderbirds” as a team nickname and mascot. 
 First chosen by students in the 1960s, the name over the years has morphed into the&nbsp;popular nickname “T-Birds” and become part of the catchphrase “once a T-Bird, always a T-Bird,” according to the lawsuit. 
 “In Native American folklore, thunderbirds were large bird-like mythological creatures that dominated the&nbsp;nature and were responsible for the weather,” attorneys for the district, Adam Kleinberg and Chelsea Weisbord from Carle Place-based firm Sokoloff Stern, wrote in the complaint, citing “A Dictionary of Nature Myths” by Tamra&nbsp;Andrews.&nbsp; 
 However, mythical birds and other creatures are not unique to Native American culture, nor is the thunderbird, the attorneys argued. In addition, the district’s primary logo “bears little to no resemblance to a thunderbird described in literature or depicted in artwork,” they wrote. 
 Also, the school logos&nbsp;and the mascot, which bear the school colors red and black, include no imagery of a Native American headdress or other accessories, the attorneys said. 
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 The Connetquot suit named each of the 17 Regents members, who unanimously voted in favor of the ban in April, individually as defendants. JP&nbsp;O'Hare, a spokesman for the state Education Department, said Wednesday the department and the Board of Regents do not comment on pending litigation. 
 The plaintiffs&nbsp;in the lawsuit are the Connetquot school district, the school board and Jaclyn Napolitano-Furno, who is a board trustee and a parent. The district and the board had no comment Wednesday, according to a spokeswoman.&nbsp;Napolitano-Furno did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. 
 The lawsuit also challenged the rule that prohibits district officers and employees from wearing apparel associated with a school district's&nbsp;retired indigenous team name, logo or mascot on school property or at school functions. 
 Napolitano-Furno, an alum and the mother of two children attending middle and high schools, and other members of the school community regularly wear Thunderbirds or T-Birds attire to sports games or school events to show support, the lawsuit said, and the prohibition violates their First Amendment rights.&nbsp; 
 Connetquot is among 13 Long Island school districts affected by the ban. The 5,335-student district in Bohemia is the latest to sue, just weeks after Massapequa, Wantagh and Wyandanch school districts filed lawsuits. 
 In a joint lawsuit, Wantagh and Wyandanch <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/wantagh-wyandanch-native-american-xlo9xcnx">sought to</a> retain their decades-old Warriors team name but said they “plan to change their respective mascots and/or logos to remove any Native American-associated imagery.” 
 The more expansive <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/massapequa-native-american-mascot-ban-qk2xcnwd">suit filed by Massapequa</a> included similar language&nbsp;as in the Connetquot complaint. Both sought a judgment to render the ban “null.” 
 Kleinberg and Weisbord represent all four districts in the three lawsuits. Kleinberg and Weisbord did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. 
 The&nbsp;Connetquot school board in a Sept. 28 meeting appointed Sokoloff Stern as special counsel to represent the board in litigation challenging the state regulation&nbsp;and capped the expenditures at $25,000&nbsp;unless there is further board approval.&nbsp;

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Connetquot schools sue Regents over Native American mascot ban

Connetquot schools sue state Regents board over Native American mascot ban

Long Islanders react to the Connetquot school district suing over the state-wide mascot ban.&nbsp;

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Connetquot school district sues over mascot ban 

LIers react to Connetquot school district suing state over mascot ban 

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The Wantagh and Wyandanch school districts have filed a lawsuit against the state Board of Regents in an effort to continue using the Warriors team name following a statewide&nbsp;ban on schools having Native American mascots, names and imagery. 
 The lawsuit, filed in Central Islip federal court late last week,&nbsp;said both schools “plan to change their respective mascots and/or logos to remove any Native American-associated imagery” but wish to retain their decades-old name. 
 &quot;If the Wyandanch UFSD and Wantagh UFSD retire their Native American imagery and successfully rebrand of the Warriors name, then there is no rational reason why they should not be able to continue to use the Warriors name,&quot; the lawsuit wrote. 
 The new state rules called for public school systems to have agreed by June that they would&nbsp;comply with the ban, and then to eradicate references to Native American names, mascots and imagery on school property by June 2025. 
 Wantagh and Wyandanch are among 13 Long Island districts impacted.&nbsp;Their&nbsp;lawsuit comes a week after the Massapequa school district filed a more expansive federal lawsuit against the state Board of Regents. 
 <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/massapequa-native-american-mascot-ban-qk2xcnwd">Massapequa's lawsuit</a>, filed in Central Islip federal court Sept. 21, seeks to invalidate the statewide ban on Native American names and imagery because the school's board of education believes it violated their constitutional rights. 
 Massapequa&nbsp;goes by the team name Chiefs. 
 The 17-member state Board of Regents unanimously voted in favor of the ban in April. Wantagh and Wyandanch's lawsuit named each Regents member individually as a defendant. 
 The chancellor&nbsp;of the state Board of Regents, Lester Young Jr., did not respond to a message seeking comment. A spokesman for the state Education Department, J.P. O'Hare, said, &quot;The department does not comment on pending litigation.&quot; 
 The attorney representing Wantagh and Wyandanch in their joint lawsuit, Adam Kleinberg of the Carle Place-based firm Sokoloff Stern,&nbsp;referred questions to those districts' boards of education.&nbsp; 
 Wantagh's five-person&nbsp;school board released a statement Monday that said the state Education Department has granted one school district permission to continue using the Warriors. Their lawsuit identified that school system as Chenango Valley Central School District, located&nbsp;outside Binghamton. 
 The Chenango school district's mascot was not connected to Native Americans, the district said in published reports in April. 
 &quot;We are simply asking for equal consideration and opportunity,&quot; they said. &quot; … We fully believe that we can undergo a successful rebrand of the 'Warrior&quot;&nbsp;nickname and will continue to stand with our community in an effort to maintain that identity.&quot; 
 Jarod Morris, president of the Wyandanch board of education, said in an email that the district already replaced much of its Native American imagery decades ago and should be allowed to keep its Warriors name. 
 &quot;In America, we use the word 'warrior'&nbsp;when mentioning those who have served this country in the armed forces and even in the church world&nbsp;some identify as a 'warrior for the Lord,'&quot; he said. &quot;And so, we took this step because the state is overstepping and is going beyond its authority as outlined in law.&quot; 
 Wantagh and Wyandanch are sharing the cost of the lawsuit, school officials said.&nbsp; 
 Wyandanch is one of only a handful of school districts statewide with a state-appointed fiscal monitor to help with budgeting, operations and other financial areas. Morris said that &quot;has nothing to do with this issue, in my opinion. We are in an excellent financial position …&quot; 
 Financial conditions in the Wyandanch school district continue to improve, according to a recent state-required report, allowing the system to set aside millions of dollars in cash reserves to meet future needs. 
 The fiscal monitor's most recent&nbsp;annual report, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/wyandanch-schools-finances-f9jyphho">published October 2022</a>, reported&nbsp;that the system's bond rating increased for the second time in two years, and that&nbsp;instructional staff positions have been restored in all schools. 
 Still, complying with the ban will be costly.&nbsp;Removing&nbsp;the Native American imagery from school property and replacing swaths of team paraphernalia&nbsp;across all sports and programs&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/new-york-state-native-american-mascot-ban-long-island-schools-aqfercg8">could cost districts more than&nbsp;$400,000</a>, according to an estimate by Pat Pizzarelli, the executive director of the governing body of high school sports in Nassau County.&nbsp;Districts are expected to pay for the necessary changes but can&nbsp;seek state aid for projects greater than $10,000. 
 Anthony Sabino, a Mineola trial attorney who teaches law at St. John's&nbsp;University, said the schools' lawsuit&nbsp;is unlikely to succeed because they must convince&nbsp;a judge or jury that the state Board of Regents' ban was &quot;arbitrary and capricious.&quot; 
 &quot;What that means is that there was a lack of deliberation and&nbsp;that there was a lack of rationality&quot; in the state's decision-making process, Sabino said.&nbsp;&quot;That's very hard mountain&nbsp;to climb.&nbsp; 
 The state&nbsp;Education Department rebuffed both school districts' separate requests to retain the Warriors name before the June deadline, according to the lawsuit. 
 The lawsuit said Wantagh asked the state&nbsp;in June for permission to keep the Warriors name, citing how the district planned to remove any Native American imagery from school property. The state Education Department declined the request, the district said. 
 The Wantagh board of education raised the possibility&nbsp;of a lawsuit in a June letter to the community, posted on the school district's website. 
 &quot;The district must comply, or it must engage with the State in a potentially lengthy and expensive legal process,&quot; the letter states. &quot;And while our consideration of partnering with other Long Island districts that find themselves in a similar situation might somewhat mitigate that expense, both our legal counsel and special outside counsel have indicated costs could run into the tens of thousands of dollars with a low chance for success.&quot; 
 Seeking input on how to proceed, Wantagh then surveyed its community and said nearly 75% of 962 community members who responded supported filing a lawsuit to fight to keep the Warriors name. 
 Meanwhile,&nbsp;Wyandanch's efforts to keep its Warriors name&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/native-american-mascot-ban-wyandanch-shinnecock-nation-wk7khjov">received support&nbsp;from Bryan Polite</a>, chairman of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, who said May 10 he didn't have an issue as long as the school district removed all indigenous references.&nbsp; 
 The state Education Department said the Shinnecocks'&nbsp;support came too late because the ban&nbsp;specifically said school districts had to have agreements &quot;in place&nbsp;by the effective date of the regulation.&quot; 
 The lawsuit criticized that rationale. 
 &quot;It is nonsensical that an arbitrary May 3, 2023 deadline is the only distinguishing factor between a permissible use of the Warriors name and an impermissible one — especially when school districts have until the end of the 2024-2025 school year to comply with&quot; the state ban, according to the lawsuit. 
 Amityville and Comsewogue also use the&nbsp;Warriors team name. Those school districts also have expressed a desire to keep the&nbsp;name.

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Wantagh, Wyandanch schools sue state to keep Warriors team name

Wantagh, Wyandanch file lawsuit in effort to continue using Warriors team name

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Two Long Island&nbsp;school districts are fighting a&nbsp;statewide&nbsp;ban on schools having Native American mascots, names and imagery with a lawsuit against the state Board of Regents seeking they be allowed to&nbsp;keep&nbsp;using the Warriors team name. NewsdayTV&#39;s&nbsp;Macy Egeland reports.

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Schools suing to keep Warriors name

Fighting to keep 'tradition'

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Dean Zulkofske

Long Island high school football returned Friday, and&nbsp;so did the Native American team names the state is in the process of removing. 
 The Amityville Warriors, which kicked off its season against the Eastport-South Manor Sharks, are among&nbsp;the 13 Long Island school districts affected by&nbsp;New York's decision in April to ban indigenous names, mascots and imagery. Schools have until the 2024-25 school year to change the&nbsp;names and remove the imagery from fields, uniforms and school buildings. 
 Amityville phased out the use of its Indian head logo over the past several years, but the &quot;Warriors&quot; name has remained. Fans in attendance at the game Friday, won 21-6 by Eastport-South Manor, said there's a difference between the imagery and the name the school teams wear. 
 “I don’t have a problem with removing the logos, and they’ve done that already,&quot;&nbsp;said Brian Katz of Amityville, whose son plays on the football team. &quot;But the name 'Warriors?'&nbsp;It’s ridiculous to have them remove that. Warriors is not just a Native American name.” 
 The team name means a lot to John Vasquez, who won a Long Island Championship with Amityville in 2007 and a Suffolk title as a defensive back in 2009. Vasquez said one of his former teammates has the team name tattooed across his chest. 
 “The school’s beautiful, the name’s beautiful. And it fits us,” Vasquez said. “It’s a mindset. It could be anything you put your mind to. It’s an attitude, not a bad attitude, but an attitude that you carry.&quot; 
 The field’s goalposts and the team’s silver helmets, as well as banners around the field,&nbsp;still bear the name&nbsp;after the state Board of Regents voted on April 19 to unanimously pass the Native American mascot ban, affecting all public schools. 
 After the ban was passed, Amityville Superintendent Ed Fale told Newsday the district was hoping it could keep its “Warriors” name because the district had already removed the imagery. 
 The state’s guidance, however, said the ban includes the name “Warriors” and that if the school had used a team name and imagery connected&nbsp;to indigenous nations or people at any time, it would have to change the team name. 
 In June, the Amityville school board agreed to comply with the ban but reserved the option of challenging the state’s order in court. 
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 The school's athletic director, Evan Farkas, declined to comment Friday.&nbsp; 
 Districts that are not in compliance risk the loss of state aid and the removal of school officers. 
 “These guys are the Warriors. They fight and claw for everything,” Katz said. “This is not one of the wealthiest towns in the county, and what it’s going to cost the school and the taxpayers to remove every piece of Warrior name and logo?&nbsp;It’s unfair to the taxpayers, it’s unfair to the students, it’s unfair to the teachers and staff members who are invested in this place.” 
 The ban also states that school officers and employees will not be allowed to wear apparel with banned mascots and names on school grounds beginning in the 2024-25 school year. 
 That rule does not apply to fans attending games. That's&nbsp;an April amendment to the original, December proposal, which said that no individuals on school grounds could&nbsp;wear such apparel. 
 “Warrior will forever be instilled in me,” Vasquez said. “That’s never going to go away ... It’s a part of me, and it shaped me into who I am today.”

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As HS football kicks off, Amityville fans oppose changing team name after state's mascot ban

High school football returned on Long Island Friday, and so did the Native American team names the state is in the process of removing. Amityville has phased out its Indian head logo over the past several years, but&nbsp;residents say the Warrior name should stay. NewsdayTV&#39;s Carissa Kellman reports.

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Should Amityville keep 'Warriors' name? 

Amityville

Amityville fans want to keep Warriors name after state's mascot ban

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Friday marks the State Education Department’s deadline for public schools to commit, via resolution, to stop using Native American team names, logos and mascots, but one Long Island district is still not in full compliance, with a number of others saying they will continue to seek legal recourse in the fight to keep their team names. 
 As of Thursday, the Sachem school district – known as the Flaming Arrows – has not resolved to change its&nbsp;name and logo. Wyandanch&nbsp;did pass a resolution to remove its Native American mascot and “Warriors” nickname, but added it will proactively seek ways to &quot;disassociate&quot; the nickname in a bid to keep it —&nbsp;something that is currently against regulations.. The state clarified in April that names such as&nbsp;Warriors and Chiefs would fall under the ban if they had previously been associated with indigenous imagery. 
 The Board of Regents unanimously voted to ban the use of indigenous mascots and logos in April and set two significant deadlines: a resolution by June 30, and full eradication of indigenous team names and imagery by the end of the 2024-25 school year. Those who miss that second deadline may&nbsp;ask for an extension if they show they have&nbsp;made a good-faith effort to comply. Districts that do not comply will face the removal of school officers and, &quot;as a last resort,&quot; the withholding of state aid, according to a department spokesman.&nbsp; 
 Brentwood, Manhasset and Sewanhaka, which all go by Indians, passed resolutions to change their nickname and logos. The other schools to comply are Syosset (Braves), Connetquot and Half Hollow Hills (Thunderbirds) and East Islip (Redmen). 
 There also were&nbsp;districts that resolved to change their names to adhere to the state’s mandate, but said they intended to fight the ban in the future. Those were Amityville (Warriors), Massapequa (Chiefs) and Wantagh (Warriors). The Comsewogue Warriors resolved to change &nbsp;their name but noted their&nbsp; disagreement with the state’s mandate in the document. 
 In a June 21 meeting, members of Sachem’s Board of Education pushed back against approving a resolution because they felt doing so would be an admission that “Flaming Arrows” falls under the mascot ban. Board member Alex Piccirillo noted that flaming arrows have been used by an array of cultures throughout history. Another board member, however, acknowledged that the logo was derived from the one used by the Kansas City Chiefs, which uses indigenous imagery. 
 &quot;The district continues to have ongoing communications with NYSED and the Mascot Advisory Board,&quot; Sachem superintendent Christopher J. Pellettieri&nbsp;said in a statement Thursday. &quot;At this point we believe the guidance we have been given is still unclear as to what requirements, if any, are needed to be taken by the Sachem Central School District.&quot; 
 The state&nbsp;said Assistant Commissioner of Education David Frank spoke to Pellettieri and “conveyed the Department’s policy on this matter” on&nbsp;June 23. 
 “The language in the regulations and FAQ document is clear: team names, mascots, and logos derived from, or that have connections to, Indigenous peoples, in the past or at present, which are being used without the express consent of such peoples are contrary to the requirements of the regulation and New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act and must change,” a state education department spokesman wrote. 
 Wyandanch is hoping to “disassociate the word ‘Warrior’ from any indigenous group and replace the district’s logo in compliance,” according to the document on the school's&nbsp;website. 
 “The Board of Education reserves its right to challenge the regulation pursuant to applicable law and to communicate to, and anticipate working with the New York State Education Department and local politicians to demonstrate that the name ‘Warrior’ should not be prohibited when it is disassociated from Indigenous imagery,” district Superintendent Gina Talbert said in an emailed statement Wednesday. 
 The state said it hopes to continue to work with districts to ensure full compliance.&nbsp; 
 “In addition to the regulations, the Department has developed and disseminated a background and FAQ guidance document,” a state spokesman said. “Extensive technical assistance has also been made available when requested. The requirements of the regulations are clear and districts should know their responsibilities in complying with them.” 
 Meanwhile, districts like Massapequa made it clear their fight is just beginning. 
 The resolution to change mascots “should no way be seen as a waiver of the district’s right to challenge whether the use of the Chiefs name includes a prohibitive mascot,&quot; said board President Kerry Wachter, adding that if the ban is repealed by the state or stricken down in court, they will retain or restore their Chiefs logo and mascot. 
 - with John Asbury

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Native American mascot ban: Sachem not in full compliance

Sachem not in full compliance with NY's Native American mascot ban

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John Asbury

The Massapequa school board agreed Thursday night to comply with&nbsp;the state's&nbsp;ban on&nbsp;team names,&nbsp;mascots and logos with Native American imagery, but&nbsp;resolved to challenge the order&nbsp;in court. 
 In a unanimous vote,&nbsp;board members moved ahead on&nbsp;complying with the ban just over a week before districts statewide had to commit to retiring such names, symbols and logos, or face penalties. 
 After meeting with legal counsel&nbsp;in a closed-door executive session,&nbsp;Board President Kerry Wachter read a resolution stating that the district would comply with state regulations while making it clear they want to retain the Chiefs mascot and logo. 
 &quot;It should no way be seen as a waiver of the district’s right to challenge whether the use of the Chiefs name includes a prohibitive mascot,&quot; Wachter said of the resolution. 
 She said if the ban is eventually repealed&nbsp;by the state Department of Education, or stricken down in court, Massapequa would return to calling its teams the Chiefs and restore the logo and mascot. 
 In the meantime, the board plans to hold a community forum to consider establishing a new districtwide mascot. 
 In April, the state Board of Regents voted unanimously to ban Native American team names, logos and mascots at public schools. The state ordered districts to commit to retire their mascots and names by next Friday, or face the potential loss of state funding. 
 The order also applies to school districts with “any connection” to Native American tribes, including school districts like Connetquot and Half Hallow Hills, known as the Thunderbirds. 
 Massapequa district leaders had&nbsp;held off committing to the state-mandated change. 
 In an April statement responding to the ban order, the district accused&nbsp;the Board of Regents of &quot;overextending its reach and removing our local control,” adding that the name Chiefs honors the town’s Native American history.&nbsp; 
 Districts have until the end of the 2024-25 school year to either remove the imagery&nbsp;or file an extension after showing good cause.&nbsp; 
 School districts refusing&nbsp;to comply could face withholding of state aid and the removal of school officers, such as elected board members, according to the Department of Education. 
 More than a dozen school districts on Long Island are affected by the ban. As of late last month, several&nbsp;had&nbsp;passed resolutions to change their names and logos. 
 The state has rejected appeals from school districts like Wantagh and Wyandanch, which sought to keep their team name as the Warriors, but were denied. 
 Amityville school officials previously phased out its Indian head logo and sought to keep their Warriors team name, but has not said if it would comply with the state’s order. 
 Before Thursday night's vote,&nbsp;the Massapequ school board played a video based on&nbsp;&quot;Once a Chief, Always a Chief,&quot; a motto popular in the district and rooted in Native American heritage dating back to land acquired by a Sachem chief in 1658. 
 The mascot name is emblazoned on stone signs at Massapequa High School and a student mural on a neighboring bagel shop off campus. 
 — With&nbsp;Laura Albanese and Joie Tyrrell

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Massapequa schools to comply with, but challenge, mascot ban

Mural next to Massapequa High includes school's 'Chiefs' mascot

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Shinnecock Nation open to Wyandanch keeping Warriors name, but state says it's too late for exemptions

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Syosset school board votes to comply with state order to remove teams' Native American mascots, imagery

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Mascot ban forces Brentwood to make costly changes, but district says, 'You have to do the right thing'

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New York set to ban Native American mascots, which could affect at least 11 Long Island school districts

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State Ed tells schools to stop using team names, mascots depicting Native Americans 

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Complete coverage of the Native American mascot ban on LI

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Complete coverage: Native American mascot ban on LI

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