Latest news with #EducationDepartment
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump's education secretary threatens to pull funding from NY over its Native American mascot ban
MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. (AP) — New York is discriminating against a school district that refuses to get rid of its Native American chief mascot and could face a Justice Department investigation or risk losing federal funding, President Donald Trump's top education official said Friday. U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, on a visit to Massapequa High School on Long Island, said an investigation by her agency has determined that state education officials violated Title VI of the federal civil rights law by banning the use of Native American mascots and logos statewide. The department's civil rights office found the state ban is discriminatory because names and mascots derived from other racial or ethnic groups, such as the 'Dutchmen' and the 'Huguenots,' are still permitted. McMahon described Massapequa's chiefs mascot as an 'incredible' representation of Native American leadership as she made the announcement backed by dozens of students and local officials in the high school gymnasium. 'The Trump Administration will not stand idly by as state leaders attempt to eliminate the history and culture of Native American tribes,' the former longtime CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment said. McMahon said her department will give the state ten days to sign an agreement rescinding its Native American mascot ban and apologizing to Native Americans for having discriminated against them and attempted to 'erase' their history. JP O'Hare, a spokesperson for the New York education department, dismissed McMahon's visit as 'political theater' and said the school district was doing a 'grave disservice' to its students by refusing to consult with local tribes about their concerns. 'These representatives will tell them, as they have told us, that certain Native American names and images perpetuate negative stereotypes and are demonstrably harmful to children,' he said in a statement. Representatives from the Native American Guardians Association, who voiced support for keeping the chief mascot at Friday's event, also don't speak on behalf of local Indigenous residents, despite claims from school officials, said Adam Drexler, a Massapequa resident and member of the Chickasaw Nation. 'They're Native Americans for hire,' he said, noting the group is based in North Dakota. 'They have no tribal authority.' Meanwhile the National Congress of American Indians, considered the country's oldest and largest Native American advocacy group, reaffirmed its long-standing opposition to the use of unsanctioned Native American imagery. 'These depictions are not tributes — they are rooted in racism, cultural appropriation, and intentional ignorance,' the organization said in a statement ahead of McMahon's appearance. Trump ordered the federal education department to launch an inquiry into the Massapequa mascot dispute last month, making the coastal suburb an unlikely flashpoint in the enduring debate over the place of Indigenous imagery in American sports. Located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Manhattan, the town has for years fought a state mandate to retire Native American sports names and mascots. But its lawsuit challenging the state's 2023 ban on constitutional grounds was dismissed by a federal judge earlier this year. State education officials gave districts until the end of this school year to commit to replacing them or risk losing education funding. Schools could be exempt from the mandate if they gained approval from a local Native American tribe, but Massapequa never sought such permission, state officials have said. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Trump ally who joined McMahon on the visit, echoed the sentiments of residents who support keeping the mascot. The Massapequa chief, he said, is meant to 'honor' the town's Native American heritage, not 'denigrate' it. 'They're trying to change our culture, and we're not having it,' Blakeman said. The town is named after the Massapequa, who were part of the broader Lenape, or Delaware, people who inhabited the woodlands of the Northeastern U.S. and Canada for thousands of years before being decimated by European colonization. But indigenous residents on Long Island have called Massapequa's mascot problematic as it depicts a Native American man wearing a headdress that was typically worn by tribes in the American Midwest, but not in the Northeast. The cheery mascot also obscures Massapequa's legacy of violence against Native Americans, which includes the site of a Native American massacre in the 1600s, Native American activists have said. Massapequa, which is roughly 90% white, has long been a conservative bastion popular with New York City police and firefighters. Trump visited the town last year to attend the wake of a New York City police officer and has made frequent visits to Long Island as it has shifted Republican. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Hollywood's Baldwin brothers and the Long Island's alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer are also among Massapequa High's notable alums. ___ This story has been corrected to remove a reference to the event taking place Thursday. It took place Friday. ___ Follow Philip Marcelo at Philip Marcelo, The Associated Press
CNN
6 hours ago
- General
- CNN
Trump's education secretary threatens to pull funding from New York over its Native American mascot ban
New York is discriminating against a school district that refuses to get rid of its Native American chief mascot and could face a Justice Department investigation or risk losing federal funding, President Donald Trump's top education official said Friday. US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, on a visit to Massapequa High School on Long Island, said an investigation by her agency has determined that state education officials violated Title VI of the federal civil rights law by banning the use of Native American mascots and logos statewide. The department's civil rights office found the state ban is discriminatory because names and mascots derived from other racial or ethnic groups, such as the 'Dutchmen' and the 'Huguenots,' are still permitted. McMahon described Massapequa's chiefs mascot as an 'incredible' representation of Native American leadership as she made the announcement backed by dozens of students and local officials in the high school gymnasium. 'The Trump Administration will not stand idly by as state leaders attempt to eliminate the history and culture of Native American tribes,' the former longtime CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment said. McMahon said her department will be asking the state to voluntarily sign a resolution rescinding its Native American mascot ban and allowing districts to continue using the mascot of their choosing. The resolution would also include an apology to tribes, acknowledging that the state discriminated against Native Americans and 'attempted to erase Native American history,' the department said. JP O'Hare, a spokesperson for the New York education department, dismissed McMahon's visit as 'political theater' that disrupted students' class time. He also said Massapequa is doing a 'grave disservice' to its students by ignoring facts and refusing to consult with local tribes about their concerns over the mascot. 'These representatives will tell them, as they have told us, that certain Native American names and images perpetuate negative stereotypes and are demonstrably harmful to children,' O'Hare said in a statement. 'If we truly wish to honor our Native American people, we will teach our students the true history of the area's Indigenous people and how they advanced our civilization – rather than perpetuating outdated and disproven myths.' Trump ordered the federal education department, which he has moved to dismantle, to launch an inquiry into the dispute last month. The move has made the coastal suburb an unlikely flashpoint in the enduring debate over the place of Indigenous imagery in American sports. Massapequa, which is about 40 miles east of Manhattan, has for years fought a state mandate to retire Native American sports names and mascots. But its lawsuit challenging the state's 2023 ban on constitutional grounds was dismissed by a federal judge earlier this year. State education officials, who have been trying to remove offending mascots and team names for more than two decades, gave districts until the end of this school year to commit to replacing them or risk losing education funding. Schools could be exempt from the mandate if they gained approval from a local Native American tribe, but Massapequa never sought such permission, state officials have said. Residents who support keeping the mascot have argued the image has been a part of the community's identity for generations and is meant to honor its Native American past. The town is named after the Massapequa, who were part of the broader Lenape, or Delaware, people who inhabited the woodlands of the Northeastern US and Canada for thousands of years before being decimated by European colonization. But indigenous residents on Long Island and elsewhere in New York have called Massapequa's mascot problematic as it depicts a Native American man wearing a headdress that was typically worn by tribes in the American Midwest, but not in the Northeast. The cheery mascot also obscures Massapequa's legacy of violence against Native Americans, which includes the site of a massacre in which scores of Native men, women and children were killed by Europeans in the 1600s, Native American activists have said. Massapequa, which is roughly 90% white, has long been a conservative bastion popular with New York City police and firefighters. Trump visited the town last year to attend the wake of a New York City police officer and has made frequent visits to Long Island as it has shifted Republican. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Hollywood's Baldwin brothers and the Long Island's alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer are also among Massapequa High's notable alums.
Boston Globe
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump administration says New York mascot ban violates civil rights law
The Education Department had opened a civil rights investigation into the ban shortly after Trump weighed in. The ban had set off a backlash in Massapequa, a middle-class hamlet on Long Island's South Shore about 40 miles from Manhattan. Most residents voted for Trump last November. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The school district has used the 'Chief' nickname and logo for decades. The mascot's image, an illustrated side profile of a Native American man wearing a feathered headdress, is plastered across Massapequa campuses, welcome signs, and football fields. Advertisement The Trump administration's finding came after a particularly speedy version of what are typically lengthy inquiries. The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights often takes months to identify violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits the recipients of federal funds from discriminating based on race, color, or national origin. Such investigations seldom result in the loss of federal funds, and the Trump administration did not immediately threaten New York's bottom line. But the federal government has increasingly targeted public school and university ledgers. Advertisement The administration recently reached a deal with Maine to restore federal money for its public schools, after education officials initially moved to slash school aid because the state allows transgender athletes on girls' sports teams. New York was the state least reliant on federal funding for its public schools in 2022, according to the most recent nationwide data. Federal money accounts for less than 8 percent of the state's overall spending on public education. New York education officials described the mascot ban as part of an effort to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools. It came amid a broader national movement to eliminate logos and nicknames that Native American people may find disrespectful. Many local tribes support New York's policy, and had pushed for a statewide ban for more than two decades. But the federal Education Department decided that the policy amounted to discrimination. On Friday, Linda McMahon, the education secretary, traveled to Massapequa High School to speak with students, administrators, and Nassau County leaders, who said the mascot was meant to convey respect. McMahon said the department would demand that New York offer a formal apology to Massapequa, allow the district to maintain the Chief nickname, and permit other schools to choose their preferred mascots. She added that she was alarmed that New York would deny Massapequa the chance to celebrate its heritage, and accused the state of unfairly targeting Native American representation in education. 'This is a racist environment,' she said at a news conference at the high school, adding that if New York did not comply, her department would refer the case to the Justice Department 'because that's how serious we are.' Advertisement Trump has often promised to give control of education 'back to the states,' but McMahon said Friday that the government's intervention in Massapequa was warranted 'because this is incredibly important.' JP O'Hare, a spokesperson for the state Education Department, said that it was 'shocking, but not at all surprising, to see the secretary completely reverse course by inserting herself and the federal government into this local matter.' He called it 'troubling' that the nation's top education official would 'take time out of her schedule to disrupt student learning in the name of political theater.' 'The district claims that it seeks to honor the area's Native American past and its people, but has failed to get even the most basic facts right,' he added, noting that the mascot was a historically inaccurate representation of local tribes. The president had taken a special interest in the fight on Long Island, posting a photo on Instagram last month that showed him in the Oval Office holding a navy sweatshirt emblazoned with the phrase 'Massapequa Chiefs.' McMahon said Trump had told her: 'I need you to look into this because I think this is wrong.' Some former members of the Education Department's investigative office have questioned the basis for the mascot inquiry. Michael Pillera, a former longtime senior attorney in the civil rights office who recently left the department, said the Trump administration has argued that it is acceptable to restrict the teaching of Black studies, while saying that a Native American mascot ban is impermissible because it removes representation of a minority group. 'It's really hard to see how the department believes those two separate ideas coexist,' he said. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
CBC
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
N.L. privacy commissioner investigating government response to school cyberattack
The province's information and privacy commissioner is investigating a security breach that saw hackers steal the private information of nearly 300,000 current and former students and teachers in Newfoundland and Labrador. In a news release sent Friday afternoon, Privacy Commissioner Kerry Hatfield said part of that investigation will look at whether the Education Department has taken enough action in the wake of the PowerSchool attack to make sure it doesn't happen again. "Before launching this investigation I felt it was appropriate to give the department sufficient time to assess the impact of the breach, notify those who were impacted, and take steps to adjust its policies and practices," she said in the release. "It has now had ample opportunity to do so." The late-December cyberattack struck PowerSchool, the data management software used by the English, French and Indigenous school systems — along with other school districts across North America. According to the Education Department, on Dec. 28 hackers stole the information of approximately 271,000 students and 14,400 teachers across Newfoundland and Labrador's English, French, and Indigenous school systems. The stolen data includes contact information, date of birth, MCP numbers, medical alert information, custodial alert information, some social insurance numbers and other related information. Some of that data dates back to 1995. The department said about 75 per cent of the stolen student data belongs to people who are no longer in the K-12 system. The company offered two years of free identity and credit monitoring to any of the victims, and has since hired Experian and TransUnion to provide those services. "The purpose of my investigation is not only to assess whether the department has responded adequately to the breach, but also to ensure that measures taken by the department to prevent future occurrences of this nature are sufficient," said Hatfield. "People have a right to expect that when a public body collects their sensitive personal information that it will do so in accordance with the law."
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
N.L. privacy commissioner investigating government response to school cyberattack
The province's information and privacy commissioner is investigating a security breach that saw hackers steal the private information of nearly 300,000 current and former students and teachers in Newfoundland and Labrador. In a news release sent Friday afternoon, Privacy Commissioner Kerry Hatfield said part of that investigation will look at whether the Education Department has taken enough action in the wake of the PowerSchool attack to make sure it doesn't happen again. "Before launching this investigation I felt it was appropriate to give the department sufficient time to assess the impact of the breach, notify those who were impacted, and take steps to adjust its policies and practices," she said in the release. "It has now had ample opportunity to do so." The late-December cyberattack struck PowerSchool, the data management software used by the English, French and Indigenous school systems — along with other school districts across North America. According to the Education Department, on Dec. 28 hackers stole the information of approximately 271,000 students and 14,400 teachers across Newfoundland and Labrador's English, French, and Indigenous school systems. The stolen data includes contact information, date of birth, MCP numbers, medical alert information, custodial alert information, some social insurance numbers and other related information. Some of that data dates back to 1995. The department said about 75 per cent of the stolen student data belongs to people who are no longer in the K-12 system. The company offered two years of free identity and credit monitoring to any of the victims, and has since hired Experian and TransUnion to provide those services. "The purpose of my investigation is not only to assess whether the department has responded adequately to the breach, but also to ensure that measures taken by the department to prevent future occurrences of this nature are sufficient," said Hatfield. "People have a right to expect that when a public body collects their sensitive personal information that it will do so in accordance with the law." Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.
