Sewanhaka, Manhasset school districts take steps to comply with mascot ban
Nominees for a committee to rename the Manhasset High School mascot are being accepted through Sept. 15. Credit: Dawn McCormick
A pair of Nassau school districts have made the next move to comply with a state ban on Native American mascots and imagery — the Sewanhaka Central High School District is hiring a consultant to help with the process, and in Manhasset the board is accepting nominations for a renaming committee through mid September.
The ban, which could affect about a dozen Long Island school districts, was unanimously approved in Albany in April by the 17-person Board of Regents. Districts statewide have until the end of the 2024-25 school year to remove Native American references from uniforms, scoreboards, fields and buildings on school property.
At a Tuesday night meeting board members in the Sewanhaka Central High School District voted to approve spending $3,000 to pay Jostens for consultation and services aimed at rebranding the mascot.
The board had approved a resolution in May directing the district superintendent to create a plan to eliminate the name "Indians" in connection with any district team names, logos or mascots.
The Tuesday vote to hire Jostens for rebranding includes a marketing consultant who will conduct committee and community meetings, according to district documents. Jostens will also provide community surveys, advertising and artwork.
Wednesday, the district's interim superintendent Thomas Dolan said in a statement: "We have established a committee of stakeholders and Jostens will facilitate meetings to discuss the adoption of a new mascot."
In Manhasset, school board members held a meeting Wednesday night and reminded residents they have until Sept. 15 to submit nominations to its mascot committee. The committee will include students, parents and members of the community on a panel to consider new mascot names, officials said.
The committee asks nominees to fill out a form on the district website stating their connection with the school district and community. They must agree to "pursue the committee's mission and abide by district policies governing Citizens Advisory Committee members."
The district passed a resolution in June to change its mascot from the Indians. The move put the district in compliance with a June 30 state deadline for districts to have a plan to rescind mascots or names associated with Native American imagery.
The new regulations require the district to replace the "team name and associated imagery as it appears on our uniforms, athletic equipment, wrestling mats, fields, gym floors, windscreens, and rugs," Superintendent Gaurav Passi said in June.
The new committee will consider:
- Reviewing the team name suggestions from the school community.
- Defining the characteristics and qualities of the new team name, including factors such as appropriateness, uniqueness, relatability, creativity, and the mascot’s ability to resonate with the school community.
- Ensuring that the new team name recommendations "align with the district’s values, mission, and vision."
- Develop a list of recommendations for a team name and recommend a voting and selection process.
