The Department of Education launched an investigation Friday into New York state’s own Education Department and its Board of Regents for threatening to pull funding from a Long Island high school that refused to change its Native American mascot.
The Massapequa High School “Chiefs” mascot, an illustration of a Native American man wearing a feathered headdress, has been used for decades, but a push to change it has caused division.
In 2023, the New York State Board of Regents voted to ban Native American mascots, logos, and imagery in public schools. The ban will take effect at the end of June. The state Education Department said they “were compelled to act because certain Native American names and images have been shown to perpetuate negative stereotypes that are demonstrably harmful to children.”
The Massapequa school district tried to fight the ban and lost in state and federal court, arguing it would end the school’s identity and cost $1 million in rebranding. They then appealed directly to President Donald Trump over social media, and he decided to get involved.
In a Truth Social post, Trump called the effort to force a change “ridiculous” and “an affront to our great Indian population.”
“Forcing them to change the name, after all of these years, is ridiculous and, in actuality, an affront to our great Indian population. The School Board, and virtually everyone in the area, are demanding the name be kept,” Trump said.
The Native American Guardians Association filed a complaint with the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights in support of the school, claiming that the New York Education Department violated federal civil rights laws with its policy.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said her department “will not stand by as the state of New York attempts to rewrite history and deny the town of Massapequa the right to celebrate its heritage in its schools.”
“While New York chooses to prioritize erasing Native Americans, their rich history, and their deep connection to the state, it is requiring schools to divert time and resources away from what really matters: educating our students,” she added.
McMahon pointed to numerous mascots that refer to indigenous groups including the Minnesota Vikings and Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish, claiming New York “singled out” the “chiefs” and said that the matter would be “fully” investigated.
Native American Guardians Association Vice President Frank Black Cloud and Massapequa Board of Education President Kerry Watcher applauded the decision.
“Maintaining a respectable presence in NY State schools is vital to educational equity, historical truth, and the civil rights of all American Indians,” Black Cloud said.
Watcher added that “attempts to erase Native American imagery do not advance learning — they distract from our core mission of providing a high-quality education grounded in respect, history, and community values.”
JP O’Hare, spokesman for the New York Education Department, said in a statement that the federal government’s “attempt to interfere with a state law concerning school district mascots is inconsistent with Secretary McMahon’s March 20, 2025, statement that she is ‘sending education back to the states, where it so rightly belongs.’”
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The New York policy was adopted amid a national push to change Native American mascot names through legislation and other moves.
There were about five dozen schools in New York state that used Native American mascots or logos.
