29-04-2025
SDUSD voting on plan to replace Native American school mascots
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego Unified School District's Board of Trustees will be voting on new guidelines Tuesday for renaming schools and mascots to comply with a new California law banning certain insignia based on Native American communities.
The law, which was passed last year, prohibits the use of Native American mascots for K-12 schools starting in 2026.
This law affects a handful of SDUSD schools, including Clairemont High School, whose mascot is the 'Chieftain.'
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The potential change of this mascot has drawn mixed reactions from members of the campus community.
'It was about time, just because of the context and the history with the name 'Chieftain',' said one student at Clairemont High School, adding that she believes it would help make the indigenous members of the student body feel more welcome on campus.
'The Chieftains represent courage, they represent survival — everything about it is something positive that we would love for our kids to take into the community, to their career, to wherever they go,' said Lori Schmersal, a teacher at the school.
The policy SDUSD's Board of Trustees will be voting on Tuesday will serve as a road map to align the district with the new law. District officials say this renaming process will include holding at least two district-level public hearings to receive community input.
FOX 5/KUSI's Elizabeth Alvarez contributed to this report.
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