Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify language around the research.
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating New York鈥檚 state education department for its enforcement of a state policy that prohibits the use of Native American imagery in school mascots, in a continued show of force from the agency and one that also challenges a yearslong trend of phasing out logos long called offensive.
The federal Education Department that its office for civil rights would investigate the state agency and the board that oversees it for discrimination after the Massapequa school district refused to eliminate its 鈥淐hiefs鈥� mascot at the state鈥檚 insistence.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the elimination of the Long Island district鈥檚 mascot 鈥渆ras[es] Native Americans, their rich history, and their deep connection [to] the state.鈥�
But scholars and Native American activists have long pushed back on schools鈥� use of such images, arguing that they are reductive and harmful to Native American students.
New York has been among several states to pass policies or laws barring the use of the images, after years of national advocacy from organizations like the National Congress of American Indians, the largest nonprofit representing Native nations, which has long tracked and challenged the use of Native American mascots.
But President Donald Trump鈥檚 choice to wade into a local debate in support of the district鈥攁nd call on McMahon in an April 21 social media post to 鈥渇ight for the people of Massapequa"鈥攊s the latest in a broader fight the Trump administration is waging over diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in schools.
鈥淪tates in general are being pitted against Trump, especially any of them that have any kind of DEI policies,鈥� said John Kane, who is Mohawk and has long advocated for schools to retire their Native American mascots. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a fight that New York state was going to have, regardless of this.鈥�
The use of Native American mascots has been increasingly challenged鈥攂ut now there鈥檚 pushback
In 2020鈥攁fter the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer prompted a greater focus on systemic racism鈥攖here was increased attention to districts鈥�, universities鈥�, and professional sports teams鈥� use of Native American imagery. The same year, the National Congress of American Indians expanded its push to eliminate mascots to the K-12 level.
More recently, however, there鈥檚 been pushback, and the use of such mascots has become a more partisan issue. Conservative school boards have reinstated retired mascots, (Some school boards have similarly retreated in recent years from earlier decisions to retire Confederate school names.)
For Native American students, exposure to Native American mascots reduces self-esteem, their ability to imagine future accomplishments, and belief that Native American communities can make a difference, according to Laurel Davis-Delano, a professor of sociology at Springfield College .
For non-Native people, that mascots are associated with negative thoughts and stereotypes about Native Americans. Those who support mascots are more likely to hold prejudicial attitudes about Native Americans, and support for the mascots is associated with less support for Native American rights, according to that research.
鈥淓ssentially, whatever people learn from Native mascots, it鈥檚 definitely not increasing their support for Native people,鈥� Davis-Delano said, 鈥渂ecause of the link to greater prejudice, greater stereotyping, and less support for policies that are helpful.鈥�
As of 2024, nearly 2,000 schools still used Native American imagery, according to National Congress of American Indians data. A number of states have passed legislation or policies to end its use.
In New York, the federal investigation comes after a longer fight between the district and the state Board of Regents, which oversees the state education department. The board passed a policy in 2022 that barred the use of Native American imagery in school districts鈥� logos and mascots .
Thirteen districts were affected by the policy, according to At least one district got tribal permission
Massapequa鈥攚hich tops the 鈥淢鈥� with a headdress and uses a depiction of a Native American chief鈥檚 face as a logo, and sells apparel with the imagery鈥攁nd three other Long Island districts sued over the policy. , saying the districts did not provide enough evidence that the policy infringed upon their First Amendment rights.
Kane pushed for a state-level policy after he lobbied school districts individually鈥攊ncluding his alma mater in Cambridge, N.Y.鈥攖o retire Native American mascots. He saw how volatile the school board fights could become, and felt a statewide mandate was the most effective approach.
The mascots rely on outdated, white-washed stereotypes and degrade Native Americans, Kane said.
Massapequa鈥檚 logo, for instance, depicts a headdress that draws lineage to the Plains and the West. It鈥檚 not one that members of tribes in the New York region would have worn, Kane said.
鈥淚 think it casts us as a relic of the past,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t casts us as violent people and oftentimes primitive people. It doesn鈥檛 acknowledge the fact that we鈥檙e still here.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 administration is elevating the challenges to the federal level
Despite the judge鈥檚 ruling, the Native American Guardians Association鈥攁n organization that has some Native members and supports the continued use of Native American mascots鈥攆iled a complaint with the Education Department鈥檚 civil rights office, arguing that the state education department is violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits race-based discrimination in federally funded programs.
Preserving the mascot 鈥渋s not only a matter of cultural dignity but a fundamental civil right for all students,鈥� Frank Blackcloud, the association鈥檚 vice president, said in an Education Department press release about the investigation.
The Massapequa school board鈥檚 president also applauded the Education Department鈥檚 decision to investigate.
On Monday, , with the warhead logo. , he said that changing the name 鈥渁fter all of these years, is ridiculous and, in actuality, an affront to our great Indian population.鈥�
鈥淭he School Board, and virtually everyone in the area, are demanding the name be kept,鈥� Trump continued. 鈥淚t has become the School鈥檚 identity and, what could be wrong with using the name, 鈥楥hief鈥�?鈥�
But local tribes have not consented to the mascot鈥檚 use.
JP O鈥橦are, a spokesperson for the state education department, said the agency had encouraged the district to consult with local tribal representatives, and provided comments from two local tribes鈥擴nkechaug Indian Nation and Shinnecock Indian Nation鈥攖hat disagreed with the use of the imagery.
He added that the federal investigation鈥攁bout which the state education department had not yet received any information on Monday鈥攊s 鈥渋nconsistent with Secretary McMahon鈥檚 that she is 鈥榮ending education back to the states where it so rightly belongs.鈥欌��
鈥淭he use of stereotype costumes, names and cartoonish imagery dehumanize native people and our traditions,鈥� Josephine Smith, director of cultural resources for Shinnecock Indian Nation, said in a statement. 鈥淲e are a living people with living, evolving traditions, we are not your mascots.鈥�
